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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bulb · file · foot · season · kid · kick · swing · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. swing — music
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. swing — to play on
  7. file — a line of people
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. season — of the year
  10. kick — in football
  11. kid — to tease
  12. foot — a measure
  13. court — of a king
  14. bulb — for light
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. file — a tool
  17. season — in sport
  18. swing — in golf
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bulb — for light
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. kid — child
  23. file — a document
  24. court — of law

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