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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. tube — a container
  3. hand — help
  4. charge — electricity
  5. foot — a measure
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. last — final
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — the underground
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cold — an illness
  14. charge — a price
  15. bulb — for light
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. last — finally
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. last — to go on
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. charge — in control

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