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

Word bank: racket · bulb · suit · ball · cold · trunk · cell · chest

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. ball — a dance
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bulb — for light
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cell — a phone
  14. suit — to fit
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. ball — a great time
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. suit — clothes
  21. suit — in cards
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. cold — an illness

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