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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wind — moving air
  3. saw — the tool
  4. snap — to click
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. rash — hasty
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rash — a series
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. rest — what's left
  21. sharp — clever
  22. foot — a measure
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. foot — the bottom

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