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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  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. bulb — of a plant
  2. swing — music
  3. last — finally
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. rush — hurry
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. last — to go on
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bulb — for light
  15. swing — to play on
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cold — an illness
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. swing — in golf
  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