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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. drill — a practice
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. net — after costs
  5. bulb — for light
  6. drill — the tool
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. rash — a series
  9. toast — bread
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rule — government
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. march — music
  15. kid — to tease
  16. rule — a law
  17. rash — hasty
  18. march — the month
  19. net — for catching
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. march — the month
  22. drill — army training
  23. net — in sport
  24. rule — to rule out

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