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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · last · nail · pitch · wind · date · cabinet · bulb

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. last — final
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. last — to go on
  6. pitch — completely
  7. last — finally
  8. date — the fruit
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wind — moving air
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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