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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bulb — for light
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — a group
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cold — not warm
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a match
  13. club — for dancing
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — an illness
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. kick — in football
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — in cards
  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