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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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468
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: jam · rest · racket · bat · wound · bound · bulb · kick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bulb — for light
  7. kick — in football
  8. bound — tied together
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bat — the animal
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bound — certain
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rest — a break
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. wound — an injury

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