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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. firm — a company
  3. firm — decided
  4. kick — in football
  5. march — the month
  6. file — a tool
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. march — music
  16. spell — a short time
  17. file — a document
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. file — a line of people
  21. firm — steady
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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