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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: swing · racket · cell · date · bulb · race

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. swing — music
  5. race — a contest
  6. swing — in golf
  7. race — humankind
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. race — the arms race
  10. swing — to play on
  11. cell — a phone
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. cell — in biology
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. date — the fruit
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bulb — for light

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