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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. rock — music
  7. ball — a dance
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bulb — for light
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. field — for sport
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. kick — in football
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. field — a subject
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. rock — a stone
  24. bulb — of a plant

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