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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. ground — a position
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. fall — to drop
  9. swing — in golf
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — crushed
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wake — a trail
  16. swing — to play on
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. fall — the season
  22. wound — an injury
  23. fall — to drop
  24. arm — part of the body

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