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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. race — a contest
  5. swing — music
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bulb — for light
  8. object — to protest
  9. bulb — for light
  10. race — humankind
  11. scale — size or range
  12. object — an aim
  13. swing — in golf
  14. lean — thin
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. chest — of your body
  17. scale — in music
  18. lean — to bend
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. swing — to play on
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. chest — a box
  24. race — the arms race

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