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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bulb — for light
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. bulb — for light
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. ground — the earth
  8. kick — in football
  9. scale — in music
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mine — for digging
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — a position
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. game — a match
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. calf — of the leg

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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