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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. bulb — for light
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — of water
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. game — wild animals
  9. court — of a king
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bulb — for light
  12. spring — the season
  13. game — a match
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. court — for sport
  16. bound — tied together
  17. court — of law
  18. bound — certain
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. kick — in football
  24. rush — a thrill

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