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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bulb — for light
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. spell — letters
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — music
  15. kid — child
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bulb — for light
  19. ground — a position
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. spell — magic
  23. ground — the earth
  24. spell — a short time

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