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

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. toast — bread
  4. file — a line of people
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. pop — to visit
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. file — a document
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — soda
  12. file — a tool
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bulb — for light
  17. kick — in football
  18. toast — a drink to someone

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