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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bulb — for light
  5. rash — hasty
  6. cold — an illness
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. craft — boats
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bulb — for light
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. degree — an amount
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. degree — temperature
  17. craft — a skill
  18. cold — not warm
  19. degree — from a university
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. rash — a series
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. nail — on a finger

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