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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pass — a permit
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. wound — an injury
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bat — the animal
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bulb — for light
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. patient — a sick person

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