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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. hand — help
  5. kid — child
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bulb — for light
  9. ball — a great time
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. hand — in cards
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — to tease
  21. dip — to sink
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. ball — a dance
  24. fine — all right

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