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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rule — a law
  4. season — of the year
  5. current — electric
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. chest — a box
  8. season — in sport
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bulb — for light
  12. hand — in cards
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. current — of water
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. current — happening now
  23. rule — government
  24. hand — help

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