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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 120 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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cold — not warm
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. spell — a short time
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. spell — magic
  11. current — of water
  12. prune — to trim
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. current — happening now
  15. cue — for pool
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cue — a hint
  19. spell — letters
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cold — an illness
  22. current — electric
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. prune — to trim

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