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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cell — a phone
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bulb — for light
  6. court — of law
  7. mate — a friend
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. court — of a king
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. court — for sport
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bulb — for light
  19. can — to be able to
  20. fall — to drop
  21. can — a tin
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. fall — the season
  24. temple — side of the head

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