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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 120 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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pop — soda
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. court — of law
  6. spring — the season
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — for sport
  10. spring — a coil
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pop — to visit
  13. shower — to wash
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. net — after costs
  16. pop — music
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. net — for catching
  21. spring — of water
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. shower — rain
  24. net — in 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