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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: ground · bulb · rest · kid · swing · object · rule · calf

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. swing — music
  3. kid — child
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. rest — a break
  6. rule — government
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. object — to protest
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. swing — in golf
  13. bulb — for light
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — a law
  19. swing — to play on
  20. object — a thing
  21. bulb — for light
  22. object — an aim
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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