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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 120 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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — music
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. swing — in golf
  8. file — a line of people
  9. court — of law
  10. court — for sport
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. court — of a king
  14. sharp — clever
  15. craft — a skill
  16. file — a document
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. file — a tool
  20. craft — boats
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bulb — for light
  24. sharp — with an edge

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