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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. board — a committee
  6. cold — not warm
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mate — a partner
  12. wound — an injury
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. mate — to breed
  15. rush — hurry
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. mate — a friend
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. lie — to recline
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bulb — for light
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. board — to get on

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