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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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bulb — for light
  5. net — for catching
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. capital — money
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. net — after costs
  10. bulb — for light
  11. capital — a city
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. last — finally
  16. sharp — clever
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. key — the most important part
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bound — obliged
  22. key — in music
  23. net — in sport
  24. key — for a lock

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