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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bulb — for light
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. game — wild animals
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. wind — moving air
  13. dip — to sink
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. game — a match
  18. content — happy
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. content — the amount
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bulb — for light
  23. vault — a safe
  24. kick — in football

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