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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. content — happy
  5. fork — in a road
  6. bulb — for light
  7. content — the amount
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. kick — in football
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of law
  19. court — of a king
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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