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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. court — of law
  5. face — part of the head
  6. court — of a king
  7. stem — to come from
  8. club — a group
  9. face — to point toward
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. court — for sport
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. sharp — clever
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — for dancing
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. face — to confront
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. pass — a permit

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