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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. pit — a hole
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cold — not warm
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. court — of law
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — high quality
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. pit — in a race
  13. court — of a king
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. hand — help
  16. court — for sport
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. cap — a hat
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. fine — a penalty

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