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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. mine — for digging
  3. court — of law
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. hand — help
  6. kick — in football
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cue — a signal
  11. court — for sport
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. court — of a king
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cue — for pool
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bulb — for light
  20. hand — in cards
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. cue — a hint

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