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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 120 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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. race — a contest
  4. game — a match
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. key — in music
  8. row — to paddle
  9. key — the most important part
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bound — certain
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bound — tied together
  14. key — for a lock
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bulb — for light
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. game — wild animals
  19. race — humankind
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. row — a line
  22. kick — in football
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bulb — for light

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