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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. rash — a series
  4. key — the most important part
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. key — for a lock
  13. content — happy
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. key — in music
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — to tease
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. chair — a leader
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — the amount

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