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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. land — to come down
  3. drill — army training
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. drill — a practice
  7. pit — in a race
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. land — ground
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. content — happy
  16. drill — the tool
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pound — a weight
  19. land — a country
  20. content — the amount
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pound — to hit hard

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