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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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468
Word bank
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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bulb — for light
  6. scale — size or range
  7. mate — to breed
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. mug — a face
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. cold — an illness
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. mug — to rob
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. scale — in music
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mug — a cup
  24. bulb — of a plant

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