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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. chair — a leader
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bulb — for light
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. saw — the tool
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. field — farmland
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. field — for sport
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. field — a subject
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. chair — a professorship

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