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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. court — for sport
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. mate — to breed
  5. pop — soda
  6. rule — a law
  7. pop — to visit
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — there
  11. mate — a friend
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bulb — for light
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. court — of law
  17. present — the time now
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. mate — a partner
  21. court — of a king
  22. rule — government
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pop — music

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