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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: sharp · hide · bay · fall · date · bulb · game · leaves

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bulb — for light
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. game — a match
  9. fall — to drop
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. date — the fruit
  15. game — wild animals
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. sharp — clever
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. fall — the season
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. fall — to drop
  24. date — on the calendar

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