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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bark — to shout
  5. cue — a hint
  6. kid — to tease
  7. snap — to click
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — for sport
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. kid — child
  19. fine — all right
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a signal
  22. court — of law
  23. fine — high quality
  24. bulb — for light

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