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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. chest — of your body
  4. ball — a dance
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. spring — the season
  7. fork — in a road
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. hand — help
  12. spring — of water
  13. bound — tied together
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. hand — in cards
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. ball — a great time
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — certain

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