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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. court — of a king
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. cue — a hint
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bulb — for light
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. clip — to cut
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cue — for pool
  17. court — for sport
  18. spell — letters
  19. court — of law
  20. clip — for paper
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. clip — a video
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. spell — magic

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