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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: kick · ruler · cap · row · net · stick · game · bulb

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. game — a match
  3. row — a line
  4. cap — a lid
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bulb — for light
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. game — wild animals
  12. row — to paddle
  13. kick — in football
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bulb — for light
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. net — for catching
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. cap — of ice
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. cap — a hat
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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