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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: kick · bulb · ball · date · cap · race · dip · leaves

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bulb — for light
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. race — humankind
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. race — a contest
  9. cap — of ice
  10. dip — to sink
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. date — the fruit
  15. cap — a lid
  16. race — the arms race
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bulb — for light
  20. kick — in football
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. ball — a dance

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