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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. net — in sport
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. fall — to drop
  7. net — for catching
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. bulb — for light
  11. net — after costs
  12. key — the most important part
  13. fall — to drop
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. chip — to eat
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bulb — for light
  18. key — for a lock
  19. drill — a practice
  20. chip — for betting
  21. drill — army training
  22. fall — the season
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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