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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. game — wild animals
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. fine — all right
  7. present — the time now
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. file — a line of people
  11. roll — a cake
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. present — a gift
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. game — a match
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. file — a tool
  20. roll — a list
  21. present — there
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. file — a document
  24. bulb — for light

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