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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. spell — magic
  4. rest — what's left
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. spell — a short time
  8. field — for sport
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. last — finally
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. field — a subject
  13. spell — letters
  14. row — to paddle
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. last — final
  18. last — to go on
  19. row — a line
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. field — farmland
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bulb — for light
  24. arm — a part of something

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