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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bulb — for light
  6. firm — decided
  7. bat — the animal
  8. firm — a company
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. ball — a dance
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. firm — steady
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. content — happy
  21. ball — a great time
  22. content — the amount
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. hand — help

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