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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 116 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.

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: squash · bulb · fall · pop · charge · ball · rock · bat

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. charge — electricity
  5. squash — the sport
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. pop — to visit
  8. ball — a dance
  9. fall — to drop
  10. squash — to crush
  11. ball — a great time
  12. pop — soda
  13. rock — a stone
  14. pop — music
  15. fall — the season
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. rock — music
  19. bat — the animal
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — a price
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. fall — to drop

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