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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 116 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. season — of the year
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. season — in sport
  7. object — an aim
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. kick — in football
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — hurry
  13. spell — letters
  14. object — to protest
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. spell — a short time
  17. object — a thing
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bulb — for light
  23. spell — magic
  24. season — to add flavour

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