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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. squash — to crush
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bulb — for light
  5. ball — a dance
  6. squash — the sport
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. spell — letters
  9. cold — not warm
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bulb — for light
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. spell — magic
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. spell — a short time
  18. cold — an illness

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