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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. spell — a short time
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. stem — to come from
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. toast — bread
  12. cap — of ice
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. cold — not warm
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. pass — a permit
  18. cold — an illness
  19. perch — the fish
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. cap — a lid
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. cap — a hat

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