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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. root — of a word
  3. cold — not warm
  4. net — after costs
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. pit — in a race
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bulb — for light
  9. lean — to bend
  10. root — the cause
  11. pit — a hole
  12. rash — a series
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. net — for catching
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cold — an illness
  18. net — in sport
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. lean — thin
  24. mine — an explosive

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