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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. march — music
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. firm — decided
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. march — the month
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bat — the animal
  11. cap — a hat
  12. firm — a company
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. march — the month
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. deal — to handle
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bulb — for light
  24. deal — an agreement

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