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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. swing — to play on
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. club — for golf
  5. swing — in golf
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bulb — for light
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. club — for dancing
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. swing — music
  21. club — a group
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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