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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. key — in music
  3. degree — temperature
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. kid — to tease
  8. ground — a position
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. degree — an amount
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. shower — rain
  15. degree — from a university
  16. key — for a lock
  17. track — a song
  18. ground — the earth
  19. track — a path
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. ground — crushed
  23. track — to keep track
  24. kid — child

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