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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cold — an illness
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. land — ground
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. hand — help
  7. suit — to fit
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. suit — in cards
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bulb — for light
  14. land — to come down
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. cold — not warm
  20. land — a country
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. suit — clothes
  24. cold — the Cold War

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