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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 124 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bulb — for light
  5. saw — the tool
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. foot — a measure
  8. face — to point toward
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. snap — to click
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — to play on
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. face — to confront
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. saw — the tool
  24. swing — in golf

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