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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. chest — of your body
  3. ground — the earth
  4. hand — help
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bulb — for light
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. stem — to come from
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. ground — crushed
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bulb — for light
  17. chest — a box
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. ground — a position
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. hand — in cards
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. jam — a tight spot

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