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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. net — in sport
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bulb — for light
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. root — of a word
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. root — of a plant
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. root — the cause
  21. net — after costs
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. last — final
  24. net — for catching

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