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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. mate — to breed
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bulb — for light
  5. court — for sport
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. row — a line
  12. bark — to shout
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mate — a friend
  17. court — of law
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. mate — a partner
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. court — of a king
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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