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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. squash — to crush
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. rock — music
  15. chest — of your body
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — magic
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bore — to tire
  23. chest — a box
  24. squash — the sport

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