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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. lean — to bend
  3. rock — a stone
  4. sharp — clever
  5. firm — steady
  6. rock — music
  7. firm — a company
  8. degree — an amount
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. lean — thin
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bulb — for light
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. clip — to cut
  18. degree — temperature
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. firm — decided
  21. degree — from a university
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — for paper
  24. lean — to rest against

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