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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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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. chest — a box
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. chest — of your body
  7. kid — to tease
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — electric
  10. bulb — for light
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. current — of water
  15. kid — child
  16. court — of a king
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. cabinet — ministers

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