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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pound — a weight
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bulb — for light
  7. deal — to handle
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. chest — a box
  11. wake — a trail
  12. land — a country
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — in music
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. land — ground
  24. mouse — for a computer

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