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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. root — the cause
  3. club — for golf
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. club — a group
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. kick — in football
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bulb — for light
  11. lie — to recline
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. club — for dancing
  16. band — a ring
  17. root — of a plant
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. band — a music group
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. root — of a word

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