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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mate — a partner
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cap — a lid
  10. row — to paddle
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. cap — a hat
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mate — to breed
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. row — a line
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mate — a friend
  24. cap — of ice

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