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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. row — to paddle
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. bulb — for light
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bulb — for light
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. pitch — completely
  13. last — finally
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. kick — in football
  16. cell — in biology
  17. row — a line
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. last — final
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. last — to go on
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cell — a phone

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