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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: nail · date · rush · chair · kick · bat · spell · bulb

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. date — the fruit
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. chair — a leader
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. spell — letters
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rush — hurry
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. kick — in football
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bat — the animal
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — magic

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