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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. land — a country
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cue — a signal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. cue — a hint
  8. root — the cause
  9. land — ground
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. mine — for digging
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. land — to come down
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rest — a break
  24. root — of a word

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