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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — a series
  5. dip — to sink
  6. ball — a dance
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rash — hasty
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. bulb — for light
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bulb — for light
  16. mate — a friend
  17. cold — not warm
  18. ball — a great time
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. mate — a partner
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. dip — to dunk

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