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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. chest — a box
  3. file — a document
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. hand — help
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mug — a cup
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bulb — for light
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. chest — of your body
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. mug — a face
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bulb — for light
  20. foot — a measure
  21. file — a tool
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mouse — the animal

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