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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bulb — for light
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. rash — a series
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. club — for dancing
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. club — for golf
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — to tease
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. mine — for digging
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. rash — hasty
  16. kick — in football
  17. bulb — for light
  18. club — a group
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mate — a friend

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