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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bulb — for light
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. mate — a partner
  11. face — to confront
  12. bat — the animal
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. face — part of the head
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. mate — to breed
  17. face — to point toward
  18. rest — what's left
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rest — a break
  24. leaves — lets stay

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