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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. foot — a measure
  3. mark — a trace
  4. key — for a lock
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bulb — for light
  8. march — the month
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. key — in music
  11. game — wild animals
  12. key — the most important part
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. march — music
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. march — the month
  23. game — a match
  24. bulb — for light

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