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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. mark — a grade
  3. object — to protest
  4. mark — a trace
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. kid — to tease
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rule — government
  12. object — a thing
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cold — not warm
  19. object — an aim
  20. bulb — for light
  21. kid — child
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. wind — to turn a key

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