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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. last — to go on
  4. face — part of the head
  5. last — final
  6. perch — the fish
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — a measure
  9. face — to point toward
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. last — finally
  14. swing — music
  15. face — to confront
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. swing — to play on
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bulb — for light
  22. swing — in golf
  23. ball — a great time
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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