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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 120 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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. pass — a permit
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. key — for a lock
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. key — in music
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. cold — not warm

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