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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. swing — to play on
  6. spell — magic
  7. bound — certain
  8. spell — letters
  9. snap — to click
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. swing — in golf
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bound — tied together
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. swing — music
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — to shout
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bound — obliged
  24. hide — animal skin

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