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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. suit — to fit
  4. bulb — for light
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. court — of a king
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. ground — a position
  10. perch — the fish
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. ground — the earth
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bulb — for light
  15. kick — in football
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. suit — clothes
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. court — of law
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. court — for sport
  24. suit — in cards

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