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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. current — electric
  3. tube — the underground
  4. cold — an illness
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mate — a friend
  8. ball — a great time
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bulb — for light
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. cold — not warm
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. mate — a partner
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — of water
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. mate — to breed
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bulb — for light

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