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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. pit — a hole
  9. land — ground
  10. charge — in control
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cue — for pool
  16. land — a country
  17. charge — electricity
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. cold — an illness
  20. land — to come down
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. charge — a price

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