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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. plane — a tool
  6. season — in sport
  7. spell — magic
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. season — of the year
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. pitch — completely
  12. cold — an illness
  13. vault — a safe
  14. content — the amount
  15. bulb — for light
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bulb — for light
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. content — happy
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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