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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bulb — for light
  5. swing — music
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bat — the animal
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. object — an aim
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. object — a thing
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. wake — a trail
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. object — to protest
  24. bulb — for light

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