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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 120 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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. season — in sport
  3. craft — boats
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. race — humankind
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. season — of the year
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. race — the arms race
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — a skill
  18. wound — an injury
  19. race — a contest
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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