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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  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. kid — child
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. land — ground
  4. spell — letters
  5. bulb — for light
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bulb — for light
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. last — to go on
  11. kid — to tease
  12. last — finally
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. spell — a short time
  16. suit — to fit
  17. land — a country
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. spell — magic
  20. land — to come down
  21. suit — clothes
  22. last — final
  23. suit — in cards
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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