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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. staff — employees
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. hand — help
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cell — in biology
  9. chest — of your body
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. staff — employees
  13. last — finally
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. hand — in cards
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. last — final
  19. staff — a stick
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. last — to go on
  22. bulb — for light
  23. shower — rain
  24. cell — a phone

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