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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · chest · bear · bat · cold · leaves · pitch · can

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  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. chest — a box
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. can — to be able to
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. cold — not warm
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. pitch — completely
  8. can — a tin
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bear — the animal
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. can — a tin
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  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