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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. fine — high quality
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. fine — all right
  8. cap — a lid
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. lean — thin
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bulb — for light
  15. file — a tool
  16. cap — of ice
  17. foot — a measure
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a document
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. lean — to bend

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