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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bulb — for light
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. fall — to drop
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. field — farmland
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. fall — the season
  17. field — a subject
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. field — for sport

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