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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. file — a line of people
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. hand — in cards
  12. file — a tool
  13. bass — the fish
  14. charge — electricity
  15. kid — child
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bound — obliged
  22. charge — in control
  23. charge — a price
  24. file — a document

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