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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. last — final
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bore — to tire
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — a price
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. court — of law
  17. charge — in control
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. last — finally
  21. last — to go on
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wind — moving air
  24. court — of a king

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