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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. spell — magic
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mug — to rob
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. wake — a trail
  16. mug — a face
  17. bulb — for light
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — letters
  20. swing — music
  21. snap — to click
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. mug — a cup
  24. fan — a supporter

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