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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. file — a line of people
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. file — a document
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. file — a tool
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. land — a country
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bulb — for light
  13. land — to come down
  14. kick — in football
  15. charge — electricity
  16. lean — thin
  17. charge — in control
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. charge — a price
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. lean — to bend
  23. land — ground
  24. net — for catching

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