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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. mug — to rob
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bulb — for light
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mug — a face
  11. tear — from crying
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bulb — for light
  15. net — in sport
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. net — for catching
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mug — a cup
  24. net — after costs

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