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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wound — an injury
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. march — the month
  6. snap — to click
  7. rash — a series
  8. craft — a skill
  9. key — in music
  10. craft — boats
  11. march — music
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. key — for a lock
  18. march — the month
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. key — the most important part
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. bulb — for light
  24. last — final

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