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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: dip · fan · bulb · bat · net · deal · kid · arm

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. kid — to tease
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. net — after costs
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — to sink
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bat — the animal
  17. net — for catching
  18. kid — child
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. net — in sport
  21. deal — to handle
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bat — in an idiom

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