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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bulb — for light
  4. lean — thin
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bat — the animal
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. swing — music
  13. row — a line
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. swing — in golf
  17. row — to paddle
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. mug — to rob
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — a face

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