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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. track — to keep track
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. face — to point toward
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mate — a friend
  9. season — of the year
  10. face — to confront
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. land — ground
  13. season — in sport
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mate — to breed
  16. bulb — for light
  17. track — a song
  18. track — a path
  19. mate — a partner
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. racket — for tennis

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