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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. chest — a box
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. drill — army training
  6. track — to keep track
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. field — for sport
  9. cap — of ice
  10. track — a path
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. chest — of your body
  14. drill — the tool
  15. cap — a lid
  16. track — a song
  17. chest — of your body
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. cap — a hat
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. kick — in football
  23. bulb — for light
  24. drill — a practice

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