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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. face — part of the head
  3. kid — child
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bulb — for light
  9. court — for sport
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. face — to confront
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lie — to recline
  17. court — of law
  18. face — to point toward
  19. sharp — clever
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. court — of a king
  24. bulb — of a plant

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