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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. roll — a cake
  3. race — a contest
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bulb — for light
  9. track — a song
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. race — the arms race
  12. present — there
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — clever
  15. kid — child
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. track — a path
  19. kid — to tease
  20. race — humankind
  21. present — the time now
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. present — a gift

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