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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · court · perch · field · calf · snap · bulb · lash

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. field — a subject
  3. bulb — for light
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. game — a match
  8. court — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. field — for sport
  14. court — of law
  15. court — of a king
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bulb — for light
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. perch — the fish
  22. snap — to click
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. calf — a young animal

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