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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bulb — for light
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. spell — magic
  5. kid — to tease
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. season — of the year
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. tube — the underground
  12. kid — child
  13. ball — a dance
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. lie — to recline
  18. season — in sport
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bat — the animal
  21. spell — letters
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bulb — for light
  24. tube — a container

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