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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 116 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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bass — the fish
  4. pop — music
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bass — low music
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. spell — magic
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. spell — a short time
  16. kick — in football
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. spell — letters
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bulb — for light
  22. plane — a tool
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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