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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bulb — for light
  4. sharp — clever
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. season — in sport
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. season — of the year
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cold — an illness
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. prune — the fruit

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