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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. root — the cause
  4. ground — a position
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. root — of a word
  8. file — a document
  9. track — to keep track
  10. craft — a skill
  11. cold — an illness
  12. root — of a plant
  13. cold — not warm
  14. ground — crushed
  15. file — a tool
  16. bulb — for light
  17. file — a line of people
  18. track — a song
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. ground — the earth
  24. track — a path

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