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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · bulb · roll · race · straw · lash · foot · object

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. race — a contest
  4. object — to protest
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. foot — a measure
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rule — a law
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. race — humankind
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. object — an aim
  18. bulb — for light
  19. roll — a list
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. race — the arms race
  22. roll — a cake
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. object — a thing

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