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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. kid — child
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. dip — to sink
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. last — final
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — to tease
  11. last — to go on
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. deal — to handle
  22. last — finally
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. pitcher — a jug

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