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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. current — of water
  5. club — for golf
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. ball — a dance
  9. club — for dancing
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. land — a country
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. current — happening now
  19. club — a group
  20. land — ground
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. current — electric
  23. kick — in football
  24. land — to come down

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