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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bulb — for light
  4. court — of law
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bulb — for light
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. pit — in a race
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to click
  14. game — a match
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. court — for sport
  22. pit — a hole
  23. court — of a king
  24. field — for sport

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