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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bulb — for light
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bore — to drill
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bulb — for light
  9. shower — to wash
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. shower — rain

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