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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. object — a thing
  3. bulb — for light
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. pop — to visit
  6. mate — a friend
  7. object — an aim
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. march — music
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of law
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. court — of a king
  14. march — the month
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. pop — soda
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bulb — for light
  20. object — to protest
  21. pop — music
  22. march — the month
  23. mate — to breed
  24. coach — a trainer

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