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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. chest — of your body
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. chest — a box
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mate — to breed
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — of ice
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. spring — of water
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. cap — a hat
  16. spring — the season
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bulb — for light
  19. spring — a coil
  20. mate — a partner
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mate — a friend
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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