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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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. craft — boats
  4. net — in sport
  5. bulb — for light
  6. present — a gift
  7. net — after costs
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bulb — for light
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. mate — a friend
  16. craft — a skill
  17. present — there
  18. net — for catching
  19. field — for sport
  20. present — the time now
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. field — a subject
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. field — farmland

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