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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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bulb — for light
  6. land — to come down
  7. current — of water
  8. land — a country
  9. dip — to sink
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. current — electric
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bat — the animal
  17. current — happening now
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. land — ground
  20. track — a song
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bat — in an idiom

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