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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 120 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: bulb · bay · wound · kick · game · wave · last · kid

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. last — to go on
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. kick — in football
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kid — to tease
  15. wound — an injury
  16. game — a match
  17. kid — child
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. last — finally
  20. last — final
  21. bulb — for light
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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