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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pop — music
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. court — for sport
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. field — farmland
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pop — to visit
  12. field — a subject
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mate — a friend
  15. court — of law
  16. pass — a permit
  17. mate — a partner
  18. sharp — clever
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. court — of a king
  21. field — for sport
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. pop — soda

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