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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. rash — a series
  3. net — after costs
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. rash — hasty
  6. race — a contest
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. race — humankind
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. lean — thin
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. net — in sport
  15. sharp — clever
  16. lean — to bend
  17. race — the arms race
  18. net — for catching
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a path
  23. track — a song
  24. sharp — with an edge

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