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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pass — a permit
  4. kid — child
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. rest — a break
  10. club — for dancing
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. club — for golf
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — not warm
  21. rest — what's left
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. club — a 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