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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. drill — a practice
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — to breed
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. drill — the tool
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. drill — army training
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mate — a friend
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. lie — to recline
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. mouse — the animal

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