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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cue — a signal
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. file — a document
  12. cold — an illness
  13. tear — to rip
  14. face — part of the head
  15. file — a tool
  16. cue — a hint
  17. tear — from crying
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — to confront
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cold — not warm
  24. file — a line of people

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