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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. present — a gift
  3. charge — electricity
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. kid — child
  7. bulb — for light
  8. branch — a division
  9. charge — in control
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. present — there
  13. bulb — for light
  14. kid — to tease
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. charge — a price
  19. present — the time now
  20. dip — to sink
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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