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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. fine — all right
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. mate — to breed
  11. fine — high quality
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bulb — for light
  14. ball — a dance
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — a partner
  20. kid — to tease
  21. shower — to wash
  22. date — the fruit
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. shower — rain

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