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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. kid — child
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — to tease
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. last — final
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bulb — for light
  12. chest — a box
  13. ball — a great time
  14. last — finally
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. chest — of your body
  18. key — the most important part
  19. ball — a dance
  20. craft — a skill
  21. last — to go on
  22. key — for a lock
  23. chest — of your body
  24. key — in music

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