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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. last — final
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. last — finally
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rest — a break
  15. cold — not warm
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rock — music
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. rock — a stone
  23. last — to go on
  24. fork — to eat with

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