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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 120 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: cell · net · drill · bulb · pop · face · pit · shower

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. net — for catching
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. drill — a practice
  6. face — to confront
  7. shower — to wash
  8. cell — a phone
  9. drill — army training
  10. face — part of the head
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. net — in sport
  14. pit — in a race
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pop — music
  17. face — to point toward
  18. shower — rain
  19. pop — soda
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. drill — the tool
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pit — a hole
  24. net — after costs

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