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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. rest — what's left
  4. can — to be able to
  5. rest — what's left
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. rest — a break
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. file — a document
  12. bulb — for light
  13. branch — a division
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. file — a line of people
  16. can — a tin
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. chest — of your body
  19. can — a tin
  20. file — a tool
  21. pitch — completely
  22. chest — a box
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bear — 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