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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. dip — to sink
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bulb — for light
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. last — final
  10. field — a subject
  11. last — finally
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. last — to go on
  20. field — farmland
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bulb — for light
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. field — for sport

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