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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. field — a subject
  3. bound — tied together
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bulb — for light
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bulb — for light
  11. field — farmland
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. chip — to eat
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. sharp — clever
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bound — obliged
  19. field — for sport
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bound — certain
  22. chip — for betting
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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