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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bulb — for light
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. net — in sport
  5. bound — tied together
  6. net — for catching
  7. drill — the tool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. bound — certain
  10. net — after costs
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. date — the fruit
  16. cue — for pool
  17. bulb — for light
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. cue — a signal
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. drill — army training
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — to add flavour

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