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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. can — to be able to
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cell — in biology
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cell — a phone
  9. can — a tin
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. pitch — completely
  13. toast — bread
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. can — a tin
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bulb — for light

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