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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 116 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bulb — for light
  5. spell — magic
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. mug — a cup
  10. spell — a short time
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. spell — letters
  13. band — a music group
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. band — a ring
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. drill — a practice
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. mug — to rob
  23. band — a rubber band
  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