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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. current — happening now
  9. rock — a stone
  10. row — a line
  11. current — electric
  12. mate — a partner
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. degree — from a university
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. current — of water
  17. kid — child
  18. row — to paddle
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. mate — to breed
  21. degree — temperature
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. rock — music
  24. degree — an amount

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