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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lean — thin
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bat — the animal
  10. swing — to play on
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. swing — music
  15. lean — to bend
  16. mine — for digging
  17. suit — to fit
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. swing — in golf

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