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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: bulb · roll · pop · last · bat · fan · safe · rest

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bat — the animal
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rest — what's left
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. rest — what's left
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. last — final
  18. pop — music
  19. last — finally
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. last — to go on
  22. roll — a list
  23. bulb — for light
  24. fan — a supporter

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