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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. court — of a king
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. pop — music
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. pop — to visit
  13. sharp — clever
  14. court — for sport
  15. stand — to bear
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. cell — in biology
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bear — the animal
  21. court — of law
  22. cell — a phone
  23. pop — soda
  24. bear — the animal

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