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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. rest — a break
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cap — of ice
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bulb — for light
  12. track — a song
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. dip — to sink
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. cap — a lid
  18. kid — child
  19. track — a path
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. cold — not warm
  24. track — to keep track

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