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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. lean — to bend
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. wound — an injury
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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