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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. rule — a law
  9. cold — an illness
  10. rule — government
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. toast — bread
  13. row — a line
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cold — not warm
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bulb — for light
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. bulb — for light

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