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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. cap — a lid
  3. rash — a series
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. rash — hasty
  7. mug — to rob
  8. cap — of ice
  9. mug — a face
  10. cap — a hat
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cell — a phone
  14. face — to confront
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. cell — in biology
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. kick — in football
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bat — the animal
  23. mug — a cup
  24. kick — a thrill

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