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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. pop — soda
  5. fine — high quality
  6. march — the month
  7. ground — crushed
  8. fine — all right
  9. bulb — for light
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. ground — a position
  12. march — the month
  13. chest — a box
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. march — music
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pop — to visit
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pop — music
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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