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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bear — the animal
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bulb — for light
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a line
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bear — the animal
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. mine — an explosive

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