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

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. rash — a series
  3. court — of a king
  4. rash — hasty
  5. court — for sport
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. last — final
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. season — of the year
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bulb — for light
  14. tear — to rip
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. last — finally
  20. season — in sport
  21. last — to go on
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pass — a permit
  24. season — to add flavour

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