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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — in football
  3. fine — all right
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. net — after costs
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. degree — an amount
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. squash — to crush
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. net — in sport
  16. squash — the sport
  17. degree — temperature
  18. net — for catching
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bulb — for light
  21. degree — from a university
  22. perch — the fish
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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