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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bulb — for light
  3. spring — the season
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. court — of a king
  6. object — a thing
  7. drill — army training
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of law
  12. drill — a practice
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bulb — for light
  16. drill — the tool
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. spring — of water
  21. pass — a permit
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. march — the month
  24. object — an aim

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