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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cold — an illness
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cold — not warm
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rest — a break
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bulb — for light
  13. club — a group
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. club — for golf
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. club — for dancing
  24. hide — to keep secret

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