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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. ground — a position
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mark — a trace
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bound — tied together
  8. mark — a grade
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bulb — for light
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bound — obliged
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. rash — hasty
  19. season — in sport
  20. bound — certain
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. chair — a leader
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bulb — for light

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