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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. squash — the sport
  3. file — a tool
  4. bulb — for light
  5. kick — in football
  6. wind — moving air
  7. file — a document
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — to crush
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. file — a line of people
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. date — the fruit
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. tube — the underground
  20. roll — a list
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. bulb — of a plant

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