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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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bulb — for light
  5. can — a tin
  6. bat — the animal
  7. staff — employees
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fine — high quality
  10. lean — to bend
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. fine — all right
  16. march — music
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. march — the month
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. can — to be able to
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. can — a tin
  24. march — the month

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