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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 124 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bulb — for light
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bulb — for light
  5. fine — high quality
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. fork — in a road
  10. kid — to tease
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pop — to visit
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pop — music
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. pop — soda
  22. fine — all right
  23. kid — child
  24. fork — a garden tool

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