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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. cap — a hat
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bulb — for light
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. race — humankind
  7. bark — to shout
  8. race — the arms race
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bulb — for light
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. cap — a lid
  18. race — a contest
  19. kid — child
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. rush — hurry
  24. toast — bread

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