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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: firm · last · club · mate · track · court · pass · bulb

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. firm — a company
  5. court — for sport
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. track — a song
  8. track — a path
  9. court — of law
  10. club — for dancing
  11. mate — a partner
  12. firm — steady
  13. club — for golf
  14. firm — decided
  15. club — a group
  16. court — of a king
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. last — final
  19. last — to go on
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mate — to breed
  23. pass — a permit
  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