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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 116 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bulb — for light
  3. clip — for paper
  4. kid — child
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. clip — a video
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. perch — the fish
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bulb — for light
  13. kid — to tease
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. clip — to cut
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. ball — a dance
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. ruler — a monarch

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