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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bulb — for light
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. fall — to drop
  6. toast — bread
  7. fall — the season
  8. game — wild animals
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rash — a series
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. leaves — of a tree

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