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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — a weight
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. kid — child
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. chip — for betting
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. chip — to eat
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cold — not warm
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. vault — a safe
  24. mouse — for a computer

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