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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  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. bulb — for light
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bulb — for light
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. key — in music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. board — a committee
  11. fall — to drop
  12. land — ground
  13. board — to get on
  14. land — to come down
  15. tube — the underground
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. tube — a container
  20. key — the most important part
  21. fall — the season
  22. land — a country
  23. kick — in football
  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