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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 116 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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. fall — the season
  3. bulb — for light
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mate — a partner
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. cold — an illness
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. chip — for betting
  15. fall — to drop
  16. vault — a safe
  17. rock — a stone
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — the underground
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. chip — to eat
  22. rock — music
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — not warm

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