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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. kid — to tease
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. net — in sport
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. net — for catching
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. net — after costs
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. kid — child
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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