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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bulb — for light
  3. ball — a great time
  4. rest — a break
  5. file — a line of people
  6. chest — a box
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bulb — for light
  9. court — for sport
  10. file — a document
  11. ball — a dance
  12. rest — what's left
  13. court — of law
  14. file — a tool
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. rest — what's left
  17. court — of a king
  18. ball — a round shape

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