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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. wound — an injury
  3. march — the month
  4. net — in sport
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wound — an injury
  7. track — a song
  8. bulb — for light
  9. mate — a friend
  10. track — to keep track
  11. march — the month
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. mate — to breed
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. mate — a partner
  17. march — music
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. track — a path
  21. stand — to bear
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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