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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. band — a music group
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. band — a ring
  7. bulb — for light
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. charge — electricity
  10. kid — child
  11. charge — in control
  12. bulb — for light
  13. land — to come down
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. charge — a price
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. hand — in cards
  19. sharp — clever
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. land — a country
  24. land — ground

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