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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 116 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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. lean — thin
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. staff — a stick
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. capital — money
  14. bat — the animal
  15. capital — a city
  16. bulb — for light
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. staff — employees
  19. lean — to bend
  20. cell — a phone
  21. squash — to crush
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. staff — employees
  24. lie — to recline

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