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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. shower — rain
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. key — in music
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bulb — for light
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. shower — to wash
  15. plane — a tool
  16. key — for a lock
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. file — a document
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. kid — child
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a line of people

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