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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. land — ground
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bulb — for light
  8. roll — a cake
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. rash — a series
  11. ball — a dance
  12. scale — in music
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. bulb — for light
  15. toast — bread
  16. land — a country
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. roll — a list
  22. kid — to tease
  23. ball — a great time
  24. roll — on a roll

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