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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. court — for sport
  4. pitch — completely
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. hand — help
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bulb — for light
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. kid — child
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. court — of a king
  22. wake — a trail
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. court — of law

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