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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 116 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. rash — a series
  3. kid — to tease
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. object — a thing
  6. object — to protest
  7. fall — the season
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bulb — for light
  10. fall — to drop
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bulb — for light
  13. object — an aim
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cap — of ice
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. hand — help
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. kid — child
  24. hand — in cards

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