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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. lie — to recline
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wound — an injury
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bulb — for light
  9. swing — music
  10. squash — the sport
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. scale — size or range
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. scale — in music
  15. swing — in golf
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. swing — to play on
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. sharp — clever
  24. squash — to crush

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