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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 116 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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. club — for golf
  5. current — electric
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. kick — in football
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. club — for dancing
  13. club — a group
  14. bear — the animal
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. current — of water
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. current — happening now
  19. bulb — for light
  20. content — happy
  21. bear — the animal
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — to tease
  24. content — the amount

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