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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. hand — in cards
  3. saw — the tool
  4. hand — help
  5. club — a group
  6. mate — a friend
  7. march — the month
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. march — music
  10. chest — a box
  11. club — for golf
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cell — in biology
  15. mate — to breed
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bulb — for light
  18. march — the month
  19. cell — a phone
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bulb — for light
  23. mate — a partner
  24. hand — part of the body

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