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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. drill — army training
  5. cold — not warm
  6. prune — to trim
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bulb — for light
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cell — a phone
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bulb — for light
  23. court — of a king
  24. cold — the Cold War

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