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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. firm — decided
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wound — an injury
  8. game — wild animals
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. firm — steady
  11. wound — an injury
  12. row — a line
  13. firm — a company
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. game — a match
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — money
  21. bear — the animal
  22. row — to paddle
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. capital — a city

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