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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bound — obliged
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — a measure
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. swing — music
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. cold — an illness
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bound — tied together
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rock — music
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bound — certain
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. swing — in golf
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. straw — dry grass

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