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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. season — of the year
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. bulb — for light
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. net — for catching
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bulb — for light
  16. last — final
  17. kid — to tease
  18. season — in sport
  19. last — finally
  20. last — to go on
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. bulb — of a plant

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