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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bulb — for light
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to sink
  12. game — wild animals
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. content — happy
  16. snap — to click
  17. content — the amount
  18. kick — in football
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. stem — to come from
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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