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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bound — certain
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. saw — the tool
  7. kid — to tease
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mate — to breed
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bulb — for light
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. tube — a container
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bound — obliged
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bound — tied together
  24. kid — child

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