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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. net — after costs
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bulb — for light
  13. net — in sport
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — rain
  16. squash — the sport
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — crushed
  21. lie — to recline
  22. net — for catching
  23. shower — to wash
  24. squash — the vegetable

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