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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. lean — thin
  3. ball — a great time
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. present — there
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bulb — for light
  12. present — a gift
  13. bass — the fish
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — low music
  18. bulb — for light
  19. present — the time now
  20. ball — a dance
  21. season — in sport
  22. date — the fruit
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. lean — to bend

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