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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. land — ground
  3. row — a line
  4. row — to paddle
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. land — to come down
  9. mate — a partner
  10. land — a country
  11. field — a subject
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a friend
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mark — a grade
  17. field — for sport
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. field — farmland
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. lie — to recline
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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