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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bulb — for light
  4. land — to come down
  5. mate — a friend
  6. present — there
  7. drill — a practice
  8. land — a country
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. drill — army training
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. cell — a phone
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. key — the most important part
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wind — moving air
  21. present — a gift
  22. cell — in biology
  23. land — ground
  24. drill — the tool

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