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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bulb — for light
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. rush — hurry
  7. season — in sport
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. court — for sport
  11. row — a line
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. season — of the year
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. row — to paddle
  19. sharp — clever
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. court — of law
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. court — of a king

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