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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. can — a tin
  3. march — the month
  4. mine — for digging
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cold — an illness
  8. face — part of the head
  9. land — to come down
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. land — ground
  13. bulb — for light
  14. face — to confront
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. march — the month
  18. land — a country
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. face — to point toward
  22. march — music
  23. can — a tin
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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