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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. race — humankind
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. staff — employees
  8. land — a country
  9. bulb — for light
  10. face — part of the head
  11. race — a contest
  12. kick — in football
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. fine — high quality
  16. face — to point toward
  17. land — to come down
  18. fine — all right
  19. face — to confront
  20. land — ground
  21. bulb — for light
  22. last — final
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. race — the arms race

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