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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. rest — a break
  4. can — a tin
  5. field — farmland
  6. rash — a series
  7. can — to be able to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. kid — to tease
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bound — certain
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. can — a tin
  15. rest — what's left
  16. kid — child
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bound — obliged
  19. field — for sport
  20. bound — tied together
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rest — what's left
  23. field — a subject
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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