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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bulb — for light
  3. can — to be able to
  4. rash — a series
  5. current — of water
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. cold — not warm
  8. current — happening now
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. current — electric
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bulb — for light
  20. content — happy
  21. content — the amount
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. cold — an illness

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