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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. net — for catching
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. net — in sport
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. firm — steady
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. pound — a weight
  15. firm — a company
  16. cold — not warm
  17. firm — decided
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. capital — a city
  20. cold — an illness
  21. net — after costs
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. capital — money

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