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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  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. bulb — for light
  2. cold — not warm
  3. rock — a stone
  4. current — happening now
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pop — music
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. current — electric
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. pop — to visit
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rock — music
  14. pop — soda
  15. deal — to handle
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. current — of water
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. cold — an illness
  22. saw — the tool
  23. deal — an agreement
  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