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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 116 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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. bat — the animal
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. cap — a lid
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bulb — for light
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. content — the amount
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cap — of ice
  19. pound — a weight
  20. lean — to bend
  21. game — a match
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. content — happy
  24. game — a kind of play

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