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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — child
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wind — moving air
  10. firm — decided
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mine — for digging
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wind — moving air
  19. firm — steady
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a great time
  23. firm — a company
  24. bulb — for light

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