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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 120 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. last — finally
  3. pop — to visit
  4. court — of law
  5. mine — for digging
  6. suit — to fit
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pop — music
  9. bulb — for light
  10. court — of a king
  11. bulb — for light
  12. suit — clothes
  13. court — for sport
  14. bound — certain
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bound — tied together
  17. suit — in cards
  18. last — final
  19. last — to go on
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pop — soda
  22. bound — obliged
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mine — belonging to me

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