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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cold — an illness
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pound — a weight
  8. fall — the season
  9. chip — for betting
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. tear — to rip
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. rash — hasty
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. tear — from crying
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. chip — to eat
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. cold — not warm

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