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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 120 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. game — a match
  5. root — the cause
  6. bulb — for light
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. cell — in biology
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. root — of a plant
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. foot — a measure
  18. cell — a phone
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. root — of a word
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. kick — in football
  24. bulb — for light

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