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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. row — a line
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. face — part of the head
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. face — to confront
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wind — moving air
  14. kid — to tease
  15. wind — moving air
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. toast — bread
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. face — to point toward
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bulb — for light

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