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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bulb — for light
  9. season — of the year
  10. cold — not warm
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. hand — in cards
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rest — what's left
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. roll — a cake
  20. rest — a break
  21. hand — help
  22. cold — an illness
  23. season — in sport
  24. bulb — for light

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