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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rest — what's left
  4. roll — a cake
  5. rest — a break
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bulb — for light
  13. roll — a list
  14. spring — the season
  15. vault — a safe
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. rest — what's left
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bulb — for light
  24. spring — of water

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