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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · wind · plane · bulb · key · cap · net · squash

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. key — the most important part
  4. net — in sport
  5. squash — the sport
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. key — in music
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. plane — a tool
  11. cap — a hat
  12. game — a match
  13. cap — a lid
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. squash — to crush
  16. net — after costs
  17. wind — moving air
  18. game — wild animals
  19. net — for catching
  20. wind — moving air
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bulb — for light
  23. key — for a lock
  24. cap — of ice

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