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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. land — to come down
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. court — of a king
  9. hand — help
  10. court — for sport
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rush — hurry
  13. land — a country
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. land — ground
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. court — of law
  23. row — a line
  24. mouse — the animal

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