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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. swing — in golf
  3. cold — an illness
  4. swing — music
  5. lean — to bend
  6. net — for catching
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. net — after costs
  10. drill — a practice
  11. staff — employees
  12. bulb — for light
  13. swing — to play on
  14. drill — the tool
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — not warm
  17. lean — thin
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bulb — for light
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. drill — army training
  23. staff — employees
  24. snap — to click

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