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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. hand — in cards
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. row — a line
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. snap — to click
  13. row — to paddle
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bulb — for light
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. content — happy
  20. content — the amount
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. hand — help
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. calf — a young animal

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