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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. march — the month
  3. last — to go on
  4. face — part of the head
  5. march — the month
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. last — finally
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bulb — for light
  10. land — a country
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. march — music
  13. face — to point toward
  14. kid — child
  15. land — to come down
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. face — to confront
  18. last — final
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. kid — to tease
  21. land — ground
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. leaves — to go away

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