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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. track — a path
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. cold — not warm
  5. season — in sport
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. pitch — completely
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bulb — for light
  11. chip — for betting
  12. wind — moving air
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — of the year
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. track — a song
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. chip — to eat
  20. bulb — for light
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. track — to keep track
  24. cold — an illness

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