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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. squash — the sport
  5. cold — not warm
  6. present — a gift
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. scale — in music
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. present — the time now
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. squash — to crush
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. scale — size or range
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. present — there

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