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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 ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bear — the animal
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. row — a line
  5. squash — the sport
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. kid — child
  10. row — to paddle
  11. firm — a company
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — for light
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. saw — the tool
  19. firm — decided
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bear — the animal
  22. firm — steady
  23. squash — to crush
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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