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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. spell — a short time
  3. mug — a face
  4. toast — bread
  5. spell — letters
  6. bulb — for light
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. swing — to play on
  9. mug — to rob
  10. swing — in golf
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. spell — magic
  13. mine — for digging
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. game — wild animals
  16. mug — a cup
  17. lean — thin
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bulb — for light
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. lean — to bend
  23. game — a match
  24. mine — belonging to me

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