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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bulb — for light
  6. hand — help
  7. present — there
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. hand — in cards
  10. rash — a series
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — to tease
  13. present — a gift
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bulb — for light
  18. present — the time now
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. arm — part of the body

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