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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 124 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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bulb — for light
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. key — for a lock
  14. last — final
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. last — finally
  20. pass — a permit
  21. cell — a phone
  22. key — in music
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. last — to go on

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