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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.

Make a worksheet

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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bulb — for light
  7. last — to go on
  8. rest — what's left
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. last — finally
  11. last — final
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wind — moving air
  18. hide — to keep secret

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