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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. foot — a measure
  4. land — a country
  5. kid — to tease
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. kid — child
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cap — a lid
  12. hand — help
  13. pit — a hole
  14. land — ground
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. cap — of ice
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. pit — in a race
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bulb — for light
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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