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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. march — the month
  3. staff — a stick
  4. dip — to sink
  5. march — the month
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. cold — not warm
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. cold — an illness
  14. chest — a box
  15. march — music
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. chest — of your body
  18. staff — employees
  19. chest — of your body
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. staff — employees
  22. wake — a trail
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. bulb — for light

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