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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. march — music
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. ball — a great time
  9. kid — child
  10. club — for golf
  11. rash — hasty
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rash — a series
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. march — the month
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bulb — for light
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bear — the animal
  21. march — the month
  22. club — a group
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. ball — a round shape

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