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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 124 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bulb — for light
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bound — tied together
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. snap — to click
  7. swing — music
  8. kid — to tease
  9. toast — bread
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bound — certain
  15. bat — the animal
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bulb — for light
  19. kid — child
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bound — obliged
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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