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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bulb — for light
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. foot — a measure
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. mine — for digging
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. rule — government
  15. lie — to recline
  16. cold — not warm
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. rule — a law
  19. plane — a tool
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. cold — an illness
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bulb — for light

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