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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cold — an illness
  4. land — to come down
  5. season — in sport
  6. object — an aim
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. land — ground
  10. toast — bread
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. season — of the year
  13. squash — the sport
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. bulb — for light
  19. land — a country
  20. object — to protest
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. squash — to crush
  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