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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. lean — to bend
  3. ground — a position
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. march — the month
  7. rock — music
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. kid — to tease
  11. march — music
  12. game — a match
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. march — the month
  15. lean — thin
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. squash — to crush
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. squash — the sport
  24. kid — child

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