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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. cell — a phone
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. ball — a dance
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bulb — for light
  8. perch — the fish
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bulb — for light
  13. ball — a great time
  14. last — final
  15. last — to go on
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. last — finally
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — completely
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cell — in biology
  22. toast — bread
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. ball — a round shape

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