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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cap — of ice
  3. chip — to eat
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. object — an aim
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — an illness
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. object — a thing
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. cap — a hat
  13. branch — a division
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. chip — for betting
  20. game — a match
  21. cap — a lid
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. object — to protest
  24. branch — of a bank

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