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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rest — a break
  7. court — of law
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. chest — a box
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. court — for sport
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. court — of a king
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. current — electric
  19. current — of water
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. current — happening now
  24. straw — dry grass

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