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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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bear — the animal
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bear — the animal
  9. face — to point toward
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cold — an illness
  12. bulb — for light
  13. face — part of the head
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — a contest
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. face — to confront
  21. race — the arms race
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. cold — not warm
  24. pitch — completely

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