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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. march — the month
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. march — the month
  9. bass — low music
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rule — government
  13. bass — the fish
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. march — music
  19. bulb — for light
  20. kid — to tease
  21. rule — a law
  22. kid — child
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. bass — the instrument

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