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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. can — a tin
  6. bulb — for light
  7. kick — in football
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bulb — for light
  13. game — a match
  14. swing — in golf
  15. game — wild animals
  16. band — a music group
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. swing — to play on
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. can — a tin
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. fork — in a road
  23. band — a ring
  24. swing — music

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