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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. court — for sport
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cold — not warm
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. cold — an illness
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. deal — to handle
  12. rock — music
  13. court — of law
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. fall — to drop
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. rock — a stone
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. court — of a king
  23. fall — the season
  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