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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. march — music
  4. hand — help
  5. fine — all right
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rest — what's left
  11. march — the month
  12. file — a document
  13. march — the month
  14. rest — a break
  15. wake — a trail
  16. fine — high quality
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. file — a line of people
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. file — a tool
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. rest — what's left

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