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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bulb — for light
  3. tear — from crying
  4. staff — a stick
  5. firm — steady
  6. staff — employees
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — to breed
  12. staff — employees
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. tear — to rip
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. tear — from crying
  22. firm — decided
  23. snap — to click
  24. firm — a company

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