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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. last — final
  3. last — to go on
  4. clip — a video
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. last — finally
  10. clip — for paper
  11. rock — music
  12. mark — a trace
  13. rock — a stone
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bulb — for light
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mark — a grade
  20. chest — a box
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. clip — to cut

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