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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. season — in sport
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. key — in music
  10. season — of the year
  11. lie — to recline
  12. court — of a king
  13. prune — to trim
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. key — for a lock
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. prune — to trim
  20. key — the most important part
  21. kid — child
  22. bulb — for light
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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