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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  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. sharp — clever
  2. scale — size or range
  3. kid — to tease
  4. wind — moving air
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. can — to be able to
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. kid — child
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wind — moving air
  22. scale — in music
  23. bowl — a dish
  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