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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bulb — for light
  4. swing — to play on
  5. face — to confront
  6. bulb — for light
  7. face — part of the head
  8. land — ground
  9. field — for sport
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. field — a subject
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. field — farmland
  17. swing — in golf
  18. swing — music

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