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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. last — final
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bulb — for light
  5. file — a tool
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. file — a line of people
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. spring — the season
  11. bulb — for light
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. file — a document
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. last — finally
  23. squash — to crush
  24. last — to go on

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