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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bulb · foot · cold · staff · cue · bat · bowl · march

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. staff — employees
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. march — music
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. staff — employees
  21. bulb — for light
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. cue — for pool

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