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

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. wind — moving air
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. wind — moving air
  5. kid — to tease
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bulb — for light
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. kid — child
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — magic
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mate — to breed

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