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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. spell — magic
  3. bulb — for light
  4. kid — child
  5. spell — a short time
  6. dip — to sink
  7. track — a song
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. track — a path
  10. object — a thing
  11. spell — letters
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bulb — for light
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — an aim
  18. kid — to tease
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. track — to keep track
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. clip — a video

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