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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bore — to drill
  4. degree — an amount
  5. net — after costs
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. degree — temperature
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. net — for catching
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — not warm
  15. net — in sport
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bulb — for light
  20. degree — from a university
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bore — to tire
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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