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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. spell — a short time
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — for pool
  7. last — finally
  8. bulb — for light
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. last — final
  11. bulb — for light
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. game — a match
  15. spell — magic
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — in golf
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. spell — letters
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. cue — a signal
  23. game — wild animals
  24. last — to go on

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