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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. cap — a hat
  4. swing — music
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — a contest
  8. kid — to tease
  9. swing — to play on
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. cap — of ice
  12. swing — in golf
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. kid — child
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cap — a lid
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bulb — for light

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