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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · foot · march · kid · bulb · mouse · rest · saw

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. saw — the tool
  3. ball — a great time
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rest — what's left
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. saw — the tool
  9. kid — child
  10. rest — what's left
  11. march — the month
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bulb — for light
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — a measure
  18. ball — a dance
  19. march — music
  20. kid — to tease
  21. march — the month
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. rest — a break

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