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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. shower — to wash
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. club — a group
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bat — the animal
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. club — for dancing
  15. shower — rain
  16. kid — child
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. rest — what's left
  22. club — for golf
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. chest — of your body

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