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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. suit — to fit
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bulb — for light
  5. suit — in cards
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pit — a hole
  10. file — a tool
  11. ball — a great time
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. file — a line of people
  15. stem — to come from
  16. dip — to sink
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. suit — clothes
  22. pit — in a race
  23. file — a document
  24. stem — a stem cell

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