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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. track — a path
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bound — obliged
  6. track — a song
  7. saw — the tool
  8. season — in sport
  9. bank — for money
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bank — for money
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. charge — a price
  15. bulb — for light
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bound — tied together
  18. charge — in control
  19. bound — certain
  20. bank — of a river
  21. season — of the year
  22. charge — electricity
  23. cold — an illness
  24. season — to add flavour

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