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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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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: foot · pound · jam · kick · hide · bulb · bowl · last

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. last — final
  10. last — to go on
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. last — finally
  18. bulb — for light
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. kick — in football
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. foot — a measure
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. hide — animal skin

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