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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. tear — to rip
  3. cap — a hat
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — child
  7. cap — a lid
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. tear — from crying
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. bulb — for light
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. fine — all right
  19. cap — of ice
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. tear — from crying
  22. kid — to tease
  23. stand — to bear
  24. fine — high quality

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