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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of law
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. kid — child
  9. game — wild animals
  10. court — of a king
  11. lie — to recline
  12. kid — to tease
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cell — a phone
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rash — hasty
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. game — a match
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. rash — a series

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