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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. cell — a phone
  5. fine — high quality
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. cell — in biology
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. mate — a friend
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. mate — to breed
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. fine — all right
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. mate — a partner
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. trunk — of a car

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