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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. march — the month
  3. fall — the season
  4. chair — a leader
  5. swing — music
  6. tube — a container
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bank — of a river
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bulb — for light
  13. march — the month
  14. fall — to drop
  15. march — music
  16. sharp — clever
  17. tube — the underground
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bank — for money
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. bank — for money
  24. tube — in a tire

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