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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 116 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mark — a grade
  3. last — final
  4. wound — an injury
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a trace
  8. last — finally
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. pop — music
  11. bulb — for light
  12. last — to go on
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bulb — for light
  16. mine — for digging
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. pop — soda
  21. wound — an injury
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. pop — to visit
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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