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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 water is too ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — to sink
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. rest — a break
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. lean — thin
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. file — a tool
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. file — a document
  13. cold — an illness
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. bulb — for light
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rest — what's left
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. file — a line of people
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — to rest against

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