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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  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. last — finally
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bound — tied together
  6. mine — for digging
  7. board — to get on
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. last — to go on
  10. sharp — clever
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bound — certain
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. board — a committee
  17. season — of the year
  18. last — final
  19. chair — a leader
  20. bound — obliged
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bulb — for light
  23. chair — a professorship
  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