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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 120 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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bore — to tire
  3. ball — a dance
  4. track — a song
  5. charge — electricity
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bat — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. chest — a box
  11. track — a path
  12. bore — to drill
  13. charge — a price
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. charge — in control
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. track — to keep track
  24. chest — of your 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