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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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. bulb — for light
  2. drill — the tool
  3. court — for sport
  4. foot — a measure
  5. drill — a practice
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. drill — army training
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. court — of a king
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — child
  12. saw — the tool
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. current — electric
  15. current — of water
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. current — happening now
  21. court — of law
  22. date — the fruit
  23. saw — the tool
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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