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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. firm — steady
  3. cell — a phone
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — humankind
  6. bulb — for light
  7. game — wild animals
  8. chest — of your body
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. chest — of your body
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. race — a contest
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. chest — a box
  19. game — a match
  20. firm — a company
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cell — in biology
  23. firm — decided
  24. bark — to shout

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