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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. spell — letters
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. board — to get on
  12. bulb — for light
  13. spell — magic
  14. swing — music
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. swing — to play on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. kid — child
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. spell — a short time
  22. board — a committee
  23. swing — in golf
  24. pass — a permit

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