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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 120 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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. rash — hasty
  4. cue — a signal
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. chest — a box
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. cue — for pool
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. chest — of your body
  15. deal — to handle
  16. rash — a series
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cold — an illness
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bulb — for light

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