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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. kick — in football
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. mate — to breed
  13. ground — the earth
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. mate — a partner
  18. ground — crushed
  19. shower — rain
  20. ground — a position
  21. shower — to wash
  22. mate — a friend
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. mouse — the 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