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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 shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. ground — crushed
  4. pop — to visit
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cap — a hat
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. present — a gift
  10. pop — soda
  11. ground — a position
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. ground — the earth
  17. cap — of ice
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — there
  20. kick — in football
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. pop — music
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cap — a lid

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