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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 116 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: wound · rule · ball · last · mark · suit · land · bulb

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. land — to come down
  3. last — final
  4. suit — in cards
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rule — government
  7. mark — a grade
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. wound — an injury
  10. last — to go on
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rule — a law
  14. bulb — for light
  15. suit — clothes
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. land — a country
  19. suit — to fit
  20. ball — a great time
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. last — finally
  23. mark — a trace
  24. land — ground

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