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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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. root — of a plant
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bulb — for light
  7. march — music
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — for digging
  10. stand — to bear
  11. swing — to play on
  12. root — the cause
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. root — of a word
  15. game — a match
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — in golf
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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