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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hand — help
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. scale — size or range
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bulb — for light
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. court — for sport
  13. row — a line
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. court — of a king
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. scale — in music
  22. court — of law
  23. bulb — for light
  24. row — to paddle

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