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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bark — to shout
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a partner
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — the time now
  11. ball — a dance
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. swing — music
  14. court — of a king
  15. mate — a friend
  16. court — of law
  17. court — for sport
  18. swing — to play on
  19. present — there
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. swing — in golf
  24. dip — to sink

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