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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. scale — in music
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. rest — what's left
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. scale — size or range
  15. swing — to play on
  16. firm — steady
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bulb — for light
  19. firm — decided
  20. swing — music
  21. bulb — for light
  22. rest — a break
  23. kick — in football
  24. firm — a company

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