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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. bulb — for light
  3. drill — the tool
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. drill — army training
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. drill — a practice
  12. fall — to drop
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. saw — the tool
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. saw — the tool
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. kick — in football
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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