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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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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: race · net · saw · bulb · chest · sharp · ball · lean

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bulb — for light
  3. chest — of your body
  4. race — humankind
  5. lean — thin
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bulb — for light
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. net — in sport
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. net — for catching
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. ball — a great time
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — a contest
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. net — after costs
  23. lean — to bend
  24. chest — of your body

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