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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. land — to come down
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. suit — in cards
  5. suit — to fit
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. pop — music
  8. suit — clothes
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pop — to visit
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bulb — for light
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bark — to shout
  17. land — a country
  18. chair — a leader
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. pop — soda
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. land — ground

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