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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. court — of a king
  5. bulb — for light
  6. track — a path
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. track — to keep track
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. track — a song
  18. season — in sport
  19. court — for sport
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. wind — moving air
  22. court — of law
  23. season — of the year
  24. calf — a young animal

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