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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bulb — for light
  4. spring — the season
  5. perch — the fish
  6. spring — a coil
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. swing — to play on
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. pitch — completely
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. swing — music
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. spring — of water
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. swing — in golf
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bulb — for light
  24. toast — bread

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