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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. mate — a partner
  3. suit — clothes
  4. band — a ring
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pitch — completely
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bulb — for light
  9. suit — to fit
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bulb — for light
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. mine — for digging
  17. suit — in cards
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a friend
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. wound — an injury
  22. kid — to tease
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. band — a music group

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