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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  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. can — to be able to
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. land — to come down
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cell — a phone
  7. drill — army training
  8. swing — to play on
  9. drill — a practice
  10. swing — in golf
  11. drill — the tool
  12. swing — music
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. shower — rain
  15. land — a country
  16. can — a tin
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. can — a tin
  19. land — ground
  20. cell — in biology
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — a big deal
  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