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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. tear — to rip
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. march — the month
  6. net — in sport
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. net — for catching
  9. tear — from crying
  10. march — the month
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. net — after costs
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. march — music
  15. hand — help
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bulb — for light
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a friend

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