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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 116 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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. tube — the underground
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. cell — in biology
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. tube — a container
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. cell — a phone
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — humankind
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. leaves — of a tree

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