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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 116 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. spell — letters
  3. firm — decided
  4. spell — a short time
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. cap — a hat
  9. swing — to play on
  10. cap — a lid
  11. spell — magic
  12. firm — steady
  13. lie — to recline
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. firm — a company
  16. mine — for digging
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. cap — of ice
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bulb — for light
  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