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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — to handle
  4. bulb — for light
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. roll — a cake
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. game — a match
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — a thing
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. roll — a list
  16. wake — a trail
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. object — to protest
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bulb — for light
  24. calf — a young animal

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