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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bulb — for light
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. season — of the year
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. chest — a box
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. season — in sport
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. chest — of your body
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. cell — in biology
  24. nail — on a finger

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