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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. bulb — for light
  3. hand — help
  4. march — the month
  5. face — to point toward
  6. hand — in cards
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. march — the month
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. foot — a measure
  16. fork — in a road
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. face — to confront
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. face — part of the head
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. march — music
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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