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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. face — to confront
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. face — part of the head
  8. cold — not warm
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. bulb — for light
  11. land — a country
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bulb — for light
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. cold — an illness
  17. land — ground
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. land — to come down
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. net — after costs
  22. tube — the underground
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. rest — what's left

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