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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. spell — a short time
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. kick — in football
  5. field — farmland
  6. spell — letters
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. rock — a stone
  9. spell — magic
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. rock — music
  12. bulb — for light
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. ball — a great time
  16. field — for sport
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. field — a subject
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. ball — a dance
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bulb — for light
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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