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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. chair — a leader
  5. key — the most important part
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fine — high quality
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. key — in music
  14. cold — an illness
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bulb — for light
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. key — for a lock
  23. fine — all right
  24. chair — a professorship

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