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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cold — an illness
  4. present — there
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. present — a gift
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. content — the amount
  12. bulb — for light
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. content — happy
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. cap — a hat
  17. lie — to recline
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — magic
  20. vault — a safe
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. spell — a short time
  23. present — the time now
  24. lie — an untruth

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