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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: chest · mouse · date · cabinet · toast · bulb · cap · bat

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cap — a hat
  3. chest — of your body
  4. date — the fruit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. chest — of your body
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. toast — bread
  17. bat — the animal
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. chest — a box
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. date — on the calendar

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