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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. kid — child
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bulb — for light
  7. shower — to wash
  8. ball — a great time
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. snap — to click
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. ball — a dance
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. pit — a hole
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. craft — a skill
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. craft — boats
  23. shower — rain
  24. calf — a young animal

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