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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 124 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. foot — a measure
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — not warm
  10. hand — in cards
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. tear — from crying
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. hand — help
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rush — a thrill

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