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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. cold — an illness
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. hand — help
  7. bulb — for light
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mark — a trace
  10. cold — not warm
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. tube — a container
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. hand — in cards
  19. ball — a dance
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. tube — the underground
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a great time

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