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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  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. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bulb — for light
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. roll — a cake
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. sharp — clever
  9. kid — to tease
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bulb — for light
  15. roll — a list
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. lie — to recline
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  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