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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 I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cue — a signal
  3. current — happening now
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. cue — a hint
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bulb — for light
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a tool
  14. field — for sport
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. field — a subject
  17. rash — a series
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. current — electric
  20. cue — for pool
  21. toast — bread
  22. current — of water
  23. file — a document
  24. field — farmland

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