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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. pitch — completely
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. root — of a plant
  6. cell — a phone
  7. club — for golf
  8. root — of a word
  9. club — a group
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. root — the cause
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. cell — in biology
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. kid — to tease
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pound — a weight
  24. wave — of the sea

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