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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bulb — for light
  5. field — for sport
  6. cap — a lid
  7. ball — a dance
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. kick — in football
  10. cap — a hat
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. ball — a great time
  15. cap — of ice
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. hand — help
  18. present — a gift
  19. hand — in cards
  20. present — the time now
  21. field — a subject
  22. present — there
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. field — farmland

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