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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 116 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. rash — hasty
  3. row — to paddle
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. face — part of the head
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — to confront
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. cell — in biology
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. rash — a series
  21. row — a line
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. wake — a trail

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