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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bulb — for light
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. saw — the tool
  7. row — a line
  8. file — a tool
  9. capital — a city
  10. file — a line of people
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bulb — for light
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. court — of law
  18. row — to paddle
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. file — a document
  23. capital — money
  24. nail — for a hammer

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