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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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468
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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. kid — to tease
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bulb — for light
  11. kid — child
  12. pit — a hole
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pit — in a race
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. arm — part of the body

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