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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bulb — for light
  3. rest — a break
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. squash — to crush
  6. rest — what's left
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — certain
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mate — a friend
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. mate — to breed
  20. ground — a position
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. squash — the sport

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