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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. bulb — for light
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cell — a phone
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. rush — hurry
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bulb — for light
  16. firm — a company
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. firm — steady
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. sharp — exactly

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