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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bulb — for light
  3. squash — to crush
  4. saw — the tool
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. squash — the sport
  8. march — the month
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. march — music
  11. lean — to bend
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. lean — thin
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bulb — for light
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. fall — the season
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. sharp — clever

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