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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 116 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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pitch — completely
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bound — tied together
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. hand — help
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bound — obliged
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — to confront
  18. wake — a trail
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bound — certain
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bulb — of a plant

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