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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bulb — for light
  6. court — for sport
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pass — a permit
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. drill — a practice
  11. club — for dancing
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rash — a series
  14. court — of law
  15. bulb — for light
  16. capital — a city
  17. rash — hasty
  18. court — of a king
  19. club — a group
  20. capital — money
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. club — for golf
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. drill — army training

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