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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. root — the cause
  3. bulb — for light
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. net — for catching
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — to eat
  8. craft — boats
  9. craft — a skill
  10. net — after costs
  11. cold — an illness
  12. root — of a word
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — in music
  17. net — in sport
  18. bear — the animal
  19. root — of a plant
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. chip — for betting

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