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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. degree — from a university
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. track — to keep track
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. kid — to tease
  8. track — a path
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. track — a song
  17. kid — child
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. foot — a measure
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bulb — for light
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bulb — for light
  24. fan — a supporter

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