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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bulb — for light
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cold — not warm
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bass — low music
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — humankind
  16. wind — moving air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. board — to get on
  21. board — a committee
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. race — a contest

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