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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bulb — for light
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. staff — employees
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bulb — for light
  9. content — the amount
  10. staff — employees
  11. kick — in football
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. capital — a city
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. content — happy
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a leader
  20. staff — a stick
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. capital — money

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