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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 120 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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. sharp — clever
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. mine — for digging
  9. can — a tin
  10. swing — music
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. rock — a stone
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rock — music
  16. bulb — for light
  17. swing — to play on
  18. fall — the season
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. pitch — completely

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