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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  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 — of a plant
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. ball — a dance
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. rule — a law
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bulb — for light
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. rule — government
  22. ball — a great time
  23. deal — to handle
  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