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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. ball — a great time
  3. court — of law
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. spell — magic
  6. ball — a dance
  7. spell — letters
  8. court — for sport
  9. lean — to bend
  10. shower — to wash
  11. pop — music
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. spell — a short time
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — to visit
  16. shower — rain
  17. lean — thin
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mate — a partner
  21. court — of a king
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a friend

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