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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bulb — for light
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. court — of law
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. court — of a king
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. band — a music group
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. chip — to eat
  12. kid — to tease
  13. band — a ring
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bulb — for light
  19. chip — for betting
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rock — music
  22. court — for sport
  23. rock — a stone
  24. bulb — of a plant

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