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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 120 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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. pound — a weight
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. squash — to crush
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. squash — the sport
  8. fine — high quality
  9. chest — a box
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bulb — for light
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fine — all right
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. kick — in football
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. mine — for digging
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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