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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pit — a hole
  6. capital — money
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. cold — not warm
  10. game — wild animals
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pit — in a race
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. suit — in cards
  16. fall — the season
  17. bulb — for light
  18. capital — a city
  19. suit — clothes
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. suit — to fit
  22. cold — an illness
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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