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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 120 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cold — not warm
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — in music
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — to visit
  15. sharp — clever
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. mark — a grade
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pop — soda
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. scale — size or range

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