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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bulb — for light
  3. court — for sport
  4. ground — crushed
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bulb — for light
  7. court — of law
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — hasty
  13. ground — a position
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — letters
  17. sharp — clever
  18. kick — in football
  19. court — of a king
  20. bore — to drill
  21. ground — the earth
  22. spell — magic
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. rash — on the skin

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