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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. march — music
  10. chest — of your body
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wound — an injury
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. march — the month
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wound — an injury
  18. march — the month
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. tube — a container
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. tube — the underground
  23. chest — a box
  24. saw — the tool

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