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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. kid — to tease
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. land — ground
  6. land — a country
  7. chair — a leader
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. kid — child
  11. mine — for digging
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. land — to come down
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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