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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. file — a tool
  3. cell — a phone
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. bulb — for light
  6. swing — music
  7. pitch — completely
  8. spring — a coil
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. cell — in biology
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. cold — not warm
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. swing — to play on
  19. file — a line of people
  20. spring — the season
  21. cold — an illness
  22. spring — of water
  23. file — a document
  24. swing — in golf

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