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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. cell — a phone
  3. swing — to play on
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stock — goods
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — a short time
  11. mug — a face
  12. wake — a trail
  13. lean — to bend
  14. swing — music
  15. spell — magic
  16. stock — shares
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. swing — in golf
  22. cell — in biology
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mug — a cup

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