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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bulb — for light
  3. land — a country
  4. bulb — for light
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. dip — to sink
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a hole
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. band — a music group
  14. kick — in football
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. lie — to recline
  17. band — a ring
  18. land — ground
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. land — to come down
  21. cold — an illness
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. cold — not warm

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