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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. chest — a box
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mark — a grade
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. chest — of your body
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. capital — a city
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. plane — a tool
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. mine — for digging
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. capital — money
  21. bat — the animal
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a trace

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