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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. cell — in biology
  6. capital — a city
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bulb — for light
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. key — the most important part
  13. band — a ring
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cell — a phone
  18. key — in music
  19. capital — money
  20. band — a music group
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. scale — in music
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. straw — a straw man

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