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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. track — a song
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. fine — all right
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. track — a path
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. mate — a partner
  20. track — to keep track
  21. row — to paddle
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wake — a trail
  24. row — a line

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