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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  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. lean — thin
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. lean — to bend
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. content — the amount
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. sharp — clever
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. content — happy
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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