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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bass — the fish
  8. last — to go on
  9. hand — help
  10. suit — clothes
  11. tear — from crying
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. last — final
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. suit — in cards
  17. tear — from crying
  18. suit — to fit
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bass — low music

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