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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. mark — a trace
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. last — final
  7. mark — a grade
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bulb — for light
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. scale — in music
  13. bulb — for light
  14. craft — boats
  15. toast — bread
  16. face — to point toward
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. face — to confront
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — finally
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. march — the month
  24. face — part of the head

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