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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. present — a gift
  3. chest — of your body
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bat — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. track — a song
  9. track — to keep track
  10. present — there
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. present — the time now
  14. craft — boats
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. chest — a box
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. chest — of your body
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. track — a path
  24. mouse — the animal

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