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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. swing — to play on
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bulb — for light
  6. march — the month
  7. degree — from a university
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. swing — music
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bulb — for light
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. degree — an amount
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. stock — shares
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. swing — in golf
  18. march — music
  19. stock — goods
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. march — the month
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. degree — temperature

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