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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pitch — completely
  7. mug — a cup
  8. wake — a trail
  9. cap — a hat
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — music
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. cap — a lid
  15. shower — rain
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. mug — to rob
  19. fork — in a road
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. mug — a face
  23. swing — to play on
  24. wake — before a funeral

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