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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bat — the animal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. fine — high quality
  8. ball — a great time
  9. present — there
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. present — a gift
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cap — of ice
  18. bulb — for light
  19. ball — a dance
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. present — the time now
  24. fine — all right

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