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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. charge — a price
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. rash — hasty
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bulb — for light
  11. charge — in control
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bore — to tire
  15. rash — a series
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — size or range
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. game — a match
  20. fork — in a road
  21. scale — in music
  22. charge — electricity
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to drill

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