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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 116 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. mug — to rob
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. net — for catching
  7. mug — a face
  8. kid — to tease
  9. net — in sport
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — money
  12. bulb — for light
  13. net — after costs
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. kid — child
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. chair — a leader
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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