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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. cold — not warm
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. game — a match
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. ball — a great time
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bulb — for light
  22. ball — a dance
  23. game — wild animals
  24. cold — an illness

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