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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. toast — bread
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. field — for sport
  8. ground — a position
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. wax — to grow
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — not warm
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. field — a subject
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. field — farmland
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bulb — for light
  24. ground — crushed

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