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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bulb — for light
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bulb — for light
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. fall — to drop
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. game — wild animals
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. kick — in football
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bore — to tire
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. root — of a plant
  20. game — a match
  21. fall — the season
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bore — to drill
  24. root — the cause

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