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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: lie · bulb · wound · last · game · drill · kid · rush

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bulb — for light
  3. kid — to tease
  4. last — finally
  5. bulb — for light
  6. last — final
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. lie — to recline
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — hurry
  15. drill — army training
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. drill — a practice
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wound — an injury
  21. last — to go on
  22. wound — an injury
  23. game — wild animals
  24. lie — an untruth

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