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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. court — for sport
  3. ground — crushed
  4. kick — in football
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. ground — the earth
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. chip — for betting
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. court — of law
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. court — of a king
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. ground — a position
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. shower — rain

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