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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  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 — for light
  2. season — of the year
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. root — the cause
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bulb — for light
  13. hand — help
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. root — of a plant
  16. wound — an injury
  17. snap — to click
  18. season — in sport
  19. wound — an injury
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. hand — in cards
  22. chair — a leader
  23. root — of a word
  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