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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rest — what's left
  5. game — a match
  6. cell — in biology
  7. present — there
  8. content — the amount
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. present — a gift
  11. present — the time now
  12. cell — a phone
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. track — a path
  16. rest — a break
  17. content — happy
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bulb — for light
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. game — wild animals
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. track — a song

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