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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. last — to go on
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. last — final
  11. deal — to handle
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — music
  14. last — finally
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mark — a grade
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. swing — in golf
  23. mark — a trace
  24. kid — child

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