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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.

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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bound — certain
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. march — the month
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. bulb — for light
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. charge — a price
  10. march — music
  11. spell — magic
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. march — the month
  14. charge — in control
  15. bulb — for light
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bound — tied together
  18. spell — letters
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bound — obliged
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. cold — not warm
  24. charge — electricity

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