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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. lie — to recline
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. rash — hasty
  5. kick — in football
  6. rash — a series
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. march — the month
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wound — an injury
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. march — music
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. march — the month

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