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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — for dancing
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. scale — size or range
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. spring — the season
  8. scale — in music
  9. spring — a coil
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bulb — for light
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bulb — for light
  14. chest — a box
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. club — a group
  22. chest — of your body
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. foot — a measure

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