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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. pitch — completely
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fall — the season
  8. bulb — for light
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. swing — in golf
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. band — a music group
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. kick — in football
  21. band — a ring
  22. tear — to rip
  23. swing — to play on
  24. mouse — the animal

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