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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. wind — moving air
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. mate — a friend
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — rain
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — a thing
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. kick — in football
  18. squash — to crush
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. shower — to wash
  21. mate — to breed
  22. object — an aim
  23. mate — a partner
  24. wind — moving 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