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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pop — to visit
  7. mate — a partner
  8. pop — soda
  9. sharp — clever
  10. clip — for paper
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mate — to breed
  13. clip — a video
  14. fall — the season
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — to play on
  18. fall — to drop
  19. clip — to cut
  20. fall — to drop
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. mate — a friend
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pop — music

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