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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bass — the fish
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. kid — child
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. prune — to trim
  9. capital — a city
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bass — low music
  12. prune — to trim
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. snap — to click
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bulb — for light
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. ruler — for measuring

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