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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. net — after costs
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. cap — a hat
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. cap — of ice
  10. kid — to tease
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bulb — for light
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bulb — for light
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. net — in sport
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. kid — child
  22. net — for catching
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — the bottom

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