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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cue — for pool
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — a series
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cold — not warm
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. spring — of water
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lie — to recline
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. spring — the season
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. lie — an untruth

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