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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — the animal
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rush — hurry
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bore — to tire
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. mine — for digging
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pass — a permit

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