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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. object — an aim
  3. rock — music
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bat — the animal
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. object — to protest
  12. spell — magic
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. object — a thing
  17. kid — child
  18. spell — letters
  19. cold — not warm
  20. spell — a short time
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bat — in an idiom

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