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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — soda
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — all right
  8. bulb — for light
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. game — a match
  11. kid — child
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pop — to visit
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bulb — for light
  16. fine — high quality
  17. degree — from a university
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. kid — to tease
  21. degree — an amount
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — wild animals

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