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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. kid — to tease
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. saw — the tool
  11. field — for sport
  12. kid — child
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. field — farmland
  20. season — in sport
  21. shower — rain
  22. season — of the year
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. field — a subject

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