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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 124 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bulb — for light
  4. file — a tool
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. file — a document
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rush — hurry
  13. net — after costs
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. net — in sport
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rash — a series
  19. ground — the earth
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. net — for catching
  24. file — a line of people

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