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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 120 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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. cold — an illness
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. ground — a position
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. cold — not warm
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rest — a break
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. spring — the season
  13. rest — what's left
  14. ground — crushed
  15. row — to paddle
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. spring — a coil
  20. row — a line
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. spring — of water
  24. bulb — of a plant

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