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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. march — the month
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. kick — in football
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. chip — to eat
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. chip — for betting
  16. bulb — for light
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — of the year
  20. hand — help
  21. march — music
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. march — the month
  24. season — in sport

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