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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cap — a hat
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. present — a gift
  7. bat — the animal
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. club — for golf
  14. bulb — for light
  15. club — for dancing
  16. present — the time now
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. club — a group
  20. present — there
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mouse — 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