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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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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bear — the animal
  7. swing — to play on
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. scale — in music
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bear — the animal
  14. swing — in golf
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bulb — for light
  17. swing — music
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mouse — the animal

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