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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. key — in music
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cell — in biology
  6. key — for a lock
  7. firm — a company
  8. bulb — for light
  9. firm — decided
  10. present — a gift
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cell — a phone
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. present — the time now
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. present — there
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. key — the most important part
  22. firm — steady
  23. chest — a box
  24. hand — in cards

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