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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bat — the animal
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. chip — to eat
  11. snap — to click
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. chip — for betting
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bark — to shout
  19. kid — child
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bulb — for light
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bat — for baseball

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