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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.

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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bulb — for light
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. rock — a stone
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — ground
  7. file — a document
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. rock — music
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a tool
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. land — a country
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mate — a partner
  20. saw — the tool
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. mate — to breed
  23. plane — a tool
  24. bulb — for light

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