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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 116 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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bulb — for light
  6. game — a match
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bulb — for light
  12. lean — thin
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bat — the animal
  15. lean — to bend
  16. mate — to breed
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. degree — an amount
  19. mate — a friend
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. degree — from a university

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