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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 120 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bulb — for light
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. lean — thin
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — to bend
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pit — a hole
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. rock — music
  21. hand — help
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  24. hand — 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