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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. file — a tool
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. face — to confront
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. hand — in cards
  8. file — a document
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bulb — for light
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. file — a line of people
  14. face — to point toward
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bound — certain
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. face — part of the head
  23. snap — to click
  24. bound — tied together

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