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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 · pop · mug · kid · court · calf · deal · hand

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. court — of law
  4. hand — help
  5. court — of a king
  6. deal — to handle
  7. pop — soda
  8. hand — in cards
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. pop — music
  11. court — for sport
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. mug — a cup
  14. kid — to tease
  15. pop — to visit
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. kid — child
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. mug — to rob
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bulb — for light
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bulb — for light

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