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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cold — an illness
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. lie — to recline
  9. spring — a coil
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. row — a line
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. chip — to eat
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. cold — not warm
  17. ball — a dance
  18. spring — of water
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bulb — for light
  21. ball — a great time
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. spring — the season
  24. patient — a sick person

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