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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. game — wild animals
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. charge — electricity
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bulb — for light
  8. tube — a container
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. game — a match
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. charge — a price
  18. mine — for digging
  19. charge — in control
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. cold — an illness
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. tube — in a tire

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