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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 120 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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. cold — not warm
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. game — wild animals
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bulb — for light
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. cold — an illness
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. game — a match
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. mine — for digging
  24. lie — to recline

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