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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 116 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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. kid — child
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. file — a line of people
  6. saw — the tool
  7. file — a tool
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. bulb — for light
  11. squash — the sport
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pound — a weight
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mark — a trace
  21. file — a document
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. mark — a grade
  24. squash — to crush

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