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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. rush — hurry
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bulb — for light
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. deal — to handle
  12. row — a line
  13. club — for dancing
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. foot — a measure
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. track — a path
  21. track — to keep track
  22. club — a group
  23. row — to paddle
  24. club — for golf

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