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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bulb — for light
  4. toast — bread
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bulb — for light
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — to bend
  9. tear — to rip
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. last — finally
  12. last — to go on
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. lean — thin
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mate — a partner
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. mine — for digging
  23. deal — to handle
  24. last — final

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