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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. toast — bread
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. mine — for digging
  10. track — a song
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bulb — for light
  13. track — to keep track
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. track — a path
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bulb — for light
  18. dip — to sink
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. shower — rain

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