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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: date · kid · rule · bulb · wake · file · roll · bowl

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. file — a tool
  4. kid — child
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. rule — a law
  8. bulb — for light
  9. date — the fruit
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rule — government
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. file — a document
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. roll — a cake
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. roll — a list
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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