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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 116 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: straw · rest · track · cabinet · kick · club · deal · bulb

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bulb — for light
  6. kick — in football
  7. rest — a break
  8. club — for dancing
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. track — to keep track
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. club — for golf
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. rest — what's left
  15. club — a group
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — a big deal

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