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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 120 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. cold — not warm
  3. bulb — for light
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mate — to breed
  8. ball — a dance
  9. mate — a friend
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bulb — of a plant

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