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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. cold — not warm
  4. staff — a stick
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bass — the fish
  7. staff — employees
  8. snap — to click
  9. bear — the animal
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bass — low music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — in music
  20. bear — the animal
  21. staff — employees
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. cold — an illness

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