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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — to shout
  9. kick — in football
  10. bat — the animal
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. ball — a great time
  16. season — of the year
  17. wind — moving air
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. ball — a dance
  20. season — in sport
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. wind — moving air

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