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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bulb — for light
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. bulb — for light
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bore — to tire
  7. march — music
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bore — to drill
  11. spring — the season
  12. season — in sport
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — hasty
  16. spring — of water
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. ball — a dance
  19. march — the month
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. season — of the year
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. march — the month
  24. bulb — of a plant

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