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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bulb — for light
  4. net — in sport
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. cell — in biology
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bulb — for light
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cue — a hint
  14. net — after costs
  15. sharp — clever
  16. track — to keep track
  17. net — for catching
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. cue — for pool
  24. track — a path

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com