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

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bulb — for light
  4. kid — to tease
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. staff — a stick
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. staff — employees
  11. kid — child
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bear — the animal
  15. hand — help
  16. staff — employees
  17. bear — the animal
  18. 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