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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bulb — for light
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. face — part of the head
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. face — to confront
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. kid — child
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. face — to point toward
  16. chip — for betting
  17. sharp — clever
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bulb — for light
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. chip — to eat
  24. hide — to keep secret

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