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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: bat · stick · mate · racket · kick · bulb · march · lie

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mate — a friend
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. march — the month
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. kick — in football
  16. bat — the animal
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. march — the month
  22. mate — to breed
  23. march — music
  24. racket — for tennis

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