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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. cold — not warm
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. capital — a city
  12. cold — an illness
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. dip — to sink
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. capital — money
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. chest — a box
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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