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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bulb — for light
  3. capital — a city
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. rush — hurry
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. court — of a king
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. capital — money
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. kick — in football

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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