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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mug — to rob
  4. bulb — for light
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mug — a cup
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. stock — shares
  11. bulb — for light
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. can — a tin
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — for digging
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — in sport
  20. can — to be able to
  21. mug — a face
  22. can — a tin
  23. cold — not warm
  24. stock — goods

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