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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 120 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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. charge — electricity
  5. cue — a signal
  6. charge — a price
  7. cue — a hint
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. band — a music group
  11. cue — for pool
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. band — a ring
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. charge — in control
  18. bulb — for light
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — a line
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. row — to paddle
  24. calf — of the leg

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