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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bulb — for light
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. mark — a trace
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bulb — for light
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. mark — a grade
  14. lie — to recline
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. prune — to trim
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. chair — a leader
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. lie — an untruth

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