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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. court — for sport
  3. last — final
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. bulb — for light
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pass — a permit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. last — finally
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. suit — in cards
  13. cell — a phone
  14. suit — clothes
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. suit — to fit
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. last — to go on
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. bulb — for light
  22. court — of law
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. court — of a king

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