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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. staff — employees
  5. cold — not warm
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. staff — employees
  8. wake — a trail
  9. swing — music
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. staff — a stick
  16. cold — an illness
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bulb — for light

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