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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. snap — to click
  3. mug — a cup
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. mug — a face
  8. object — an aim
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — a permit
  11. drill — the tool
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. drill — a practice
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. object — a thing
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. object — to protest
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cold — not warm
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. drill — army training
  23. mug — to rob
  24. cold — an illness

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