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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. rash — hasty
  4. court — for sport
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. court — of a king
  7. cold — an illness
  8. plane — a tool
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rash — a series
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bulb — for light
  16. toast — bread
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bear — the animal
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. rest — a break
  23. court — of law
  24. cold — not warm

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