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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 116 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. lean — thin
  5. face — to point toward
  6. march — music
  7. mug — a face
  8. dip — to sink
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bulb — for light
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. club — for dancing
  13. club — for golf
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. march — the month
  17. club — a group
  18. march — the month
  19. mug — a cup
  20. face — part of the head
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. face — to confront
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bulb — for light

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