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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bulb — for light
  4. chest — of your body
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. chest — a box
  7. pop — soda
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. pop — music
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. chest — of your body
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. pop — to visit
  18. hide — to keep secret

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