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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. march — the month
  5. cold — an illness
  6. pound — a weight
  7. saw — the tool
  8. last — final
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. net — for catching
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. net — in sport
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. last — finally
  16. march — the month
  17. cold — not warm
  18. march — music
  19. net — after costs
  20. object — to protest
  21. last — to go on
  22. object — an aim
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pound — to hit hard

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