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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. fork — in a road
  4. mate — a partner
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bulb — for light
  7. face — to point toward
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bulb — for light
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — a hole
  15. chair — a leader
  16. face — to confront
  17. track — to keep track
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. track — a song
  20. track — a path
  21. mate — to breed
  22. pit — in a race
  23. tear — from crying
  24. face — part of the head

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