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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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Word bank
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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. kid — child
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. rule — a law
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. bulb — for light
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rule — government
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pit — in a race
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — dry grass

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