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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. kid — child
  3. present — there
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — ground
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. wind — moving air
  12. staff — employees
  13. land — a country
  14. fork — in a road
  15. present — the time now
  16. staff — employees
  17. present — a gift
  18. staff — a stick
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kid — to tease
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. bulb — for light
  24. kick — in football

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