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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. rush — hurry
  8. court — of law
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bulb — for light
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. court — of a king
  18. track — to keep track
  19. court — for sport
  20. rash — a series
  21. bound — tied together
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. foot — a measure

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