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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cold — not warm
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. race — humankind
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. race — the arms race
  12. ball — a great time
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. race — a contest
  17. cold — an illness
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. rock — a stone
  24. ball — a dance

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