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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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Word bank
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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 · hand · mark · bulb · game · dip · firm · wound

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. game — a match
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. mark — a grade
  8. firm — decided
  9. hand — help
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — government
  12. firm — a company
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. firm — steady
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. hand — in cards
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mark — a trace
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rule — a law

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