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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. kid — child
  6. sharp — clever
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. season — of the year
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a city
  11. roll — a list
  12. season — in sport
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — hurry
  17. tube — the underground
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. tube — a container
  23. roll — a cake
  24. sharp — with an edge

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