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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bulb — for light
  3. game — a match
  4. lean — thin
  5. charge — in control
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. swing — music
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. court — of a king
  10. charge — a price
  11. court — of law
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — a position
  14. bulb — for light
  15. lean — to bend
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. charge — electricity
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — in golf
  21. ground — crushed
  22. game — wild animals
  23. court — for sport
  24. game — a kind of play

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