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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 a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. kid — to tease
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. row — a line
  8. object — an aim
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bound — obliged
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. bound — tied together
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. pass — a permit
  16. bulb — for light
  17. object — to protest
  18. dip — to sink
  19. object — a thing
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bound — certain
  24. dip — a sauce

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