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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. fork — in a road
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. fall — to drop
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fall — the season
  10. ball — a dance
  11. track — a song
  12. bulb — for light
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. hand — help
  16. track — a path
  17. hand — in cards
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. ball — a great time
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. kick — in football

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