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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. staff — employees
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — a phone
  11. club — for dancing
  12. roll — a list
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. tube — the underground
  16. club — a group
  17. tube — a container
  18. staff — employees
  19. club — for golf
  20. staff — a stick
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. roll — a cake
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. cabinet — ministers

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