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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 120 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 would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. kid — to tease
  3. object — an aim
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. object — a thing
  10. kid — child
  11. net — in sport
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. track — a path
  16. track — a song
  17. net — for catching
  18. saw — the tool
  19. track — to keep track
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bulb — for light
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. net — after costs

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