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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bear — the animal
  7. land — a country
  8. land — ground
  9. drill — the tool
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bulb — for light
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. hand — help
  17. row — a line
  18. row — to paddle
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. sharp — clever
  21. hand — in cards
  22. drill — army training
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. land — to come down

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