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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. kick — in football
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. mate — a friend
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. rush — hurry
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. bulb — for light
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bulb — for light
  24. straw — dry grass

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