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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — final
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. shower — rain
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. shower — to wash
  13. last — finally
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. kick — in football
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. spell — magic
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. spell — letters
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. squash — to crush
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. squash — the 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