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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bat — the animal
  3. row — a line
  4. wake — a trail
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. face — to confront
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. face — part of the head
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. march — the month
  14. row — to paddle
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. march — music
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. march — the month
  20. chair — a leader
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — of a plant

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