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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. dip — to sink
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. cell — in biology
  7. game — a match
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. cell — a phone
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mark — a trace
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. row — a line
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. game — wild animals
  24. mark — a grade

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