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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bulb — for light
  4. kid — to tease
  5. suit — to fit
  6. suit — in cards
  7. squash — the sport
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bulb — for light
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. suit — clothes
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fall — to drop
  15. spell — magic
  16. kid — child
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. hand — help
  20. spell — letters
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. chair — a professorship

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