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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: track · lie · kid · toast · bulb · foot · cap · bat

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bat — the animal
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. track — a path
  6. kid — to tease
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. cap — of ice
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. track — a song
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bulb — for light
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. cap — a lid
  21. toast — bread
  22. lie — to recline
  23. cap — a hat
  24. bulb — for light

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