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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. board — a committee
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. bat — the animal
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. board — to get on
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cold — not warm

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