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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. land — ground
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. spring — a coil
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. fine — all right
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bulb — for light
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. land — to come down
  12. net — in sport
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spring — the season
  17. net — after costs
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. land — a country
  20. net — for catching
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. spring — of water
  23. lie — to recline
  24. fine — high quality

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