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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rash — hasty
  3. face — part of the head
  4. last — to go on
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. last — finally
  12. bulb — for light
  13. file — a line of people
  14. mate — to breed
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — to confront
  17. mate — a friend
  18. rash — a series
  19. file — a tool
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. last — final
  23. tear — from crying
  24. file — a document

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