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

Word bank: toast · lash · chair · key · kid · mouse · fall · bulb

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. key — in music
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. key — for a lock
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. toast — bread
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. fall — the season
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. kid — child
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. key — the most important part
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fall — to drop
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. bulb — for light
  24. kid — to tease

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