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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. mate — to breed
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. mate — a partner
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. lean — thin
  12. mate — a friend
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. row — to paddle
  16. lean — to bend
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. row — a line
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bulb — for light
  22. sharp — clever
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. bowl — a football final

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