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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. deal — to handle
  4. staff — employees
  5. ground — crushed
  6. staff — a stick
  7. tear — from crying
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. ground — a position
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. staff — employees
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bulb — for light
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. tear — from crying
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. wave — of the sea

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