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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. track — a path
  3. bulb — for light
  4. track — a song
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bat — the animal
  12. foot — a measure
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. root — of a word
  16. drill — army training
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. track — to keep track
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. root — the cause

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