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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  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. arm — a part of something
  2. cold — an illness
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. mate — a friend
  5. staff — employees
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. dip — to sink
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mate — a partner
  12. last — finally
  13. last — final
  14. staff — employees
  15. bulb — for light
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. last — to go on
  20. mate — to breed
  21. staff — a stick
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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