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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. march — music
  3. net — for catching
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. march — the month
  9. pitch — completely
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a word
  12. chip — to eat
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. march — the month
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. root — of a plant
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — after costs
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. chip — for betting

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