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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. spell — magic
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. rash — hasty
  5. mine — for digging
  6. cold — not warm
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. lie — to recline
  11. pass — a permit
  12. spell — a short time
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. spell — letters
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. drill — army training
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pass — to succeed

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