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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. net — for catching
  4. sharp — clever
  5. root — the cause
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. can — a tin
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. net — after costs
  11. kid — child
  12. bulb — for light
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. can — to be able to
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bulb — for light
  20. root — of a plant
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. net — in sport
  23. root — of a word
  24. can — a tin

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