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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bulb — for light
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. object — to protest
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. scale — in music
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. kick — in football
  17. object — an aim
  18. bulb — for light
  19. scale — size or range
  20. object — a thing
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pit — in a race
  23. wind — moving air
  24. kick — with a leg

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