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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. squash — to crush
  3. track — a path
  4. ground — crushed
  5. last — final
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. track — a song
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. last — finally
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bulb — for light
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. ground — the earth
  16. track — to keep track
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. ground — a position
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. last — to go on
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. hide — to keep secret

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