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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. march — the month
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bore — to tire
  7. field — farmland
  8. last — final
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. last — finally
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. march — music
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. field — for sport
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bulb — for light
  19. march — the month
  20. mate — a friend
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bore — to drill
  23. field — a subject
  24. mate — a partner

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