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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 116 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. The water is too ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — an illness
  3. pit — in a race
  4. content — happy
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bulb — for light
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. content — the amount
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bore — to drill
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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