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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mate — a friend
  3. last — final
  4. capital — a city
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. present — there
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bulb — for light
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. lie — to recline
  14. mate — to breed
  15. present — the time now
  16. last — finally
  17. mate — a partner
  18. saw — the tool
  19. capital — money
  20. bark — to shout
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. present — a gift
  24. last — to go on

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