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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. key — in music
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bulb — for light
  8. key — for a lock
  9. file — a tool
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. key — the most important part
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bulb — for light
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. file — a line of people
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. file — a document
  20. lean — thin
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. tear — to rip
  23. lean — to bend
  24. tear — from crying

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