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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bulb — for light
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — music
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. branch — a division
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. swing — in golf
  11. land — to come down
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. land — ground
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. land — a country
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — a law
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bulb — for light

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