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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: shower · roll · cell · net · game · bulb · object · firm

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. roll — a list
  3. net — for catching
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. object — a thing
  7. firm — decided
  8. object — an aim
  9. net — after costs
  10. cell — in biology
  11. net — in sport
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. shower — rain
  17. bulb — for light
  18. roll — a cake
  19. object — to protest
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. firm — steady
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. cell — a phone
  24. firm — a company

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