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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. chip — to eat
  6. bulb — for light
  7. firm — a company
  8. firm — decided
  9. rash — a series
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. chip — for betting
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. firm — steady
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — the animal
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — not warm
  24. branch — a division

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