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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. fall — to drop
  3. current — happening now
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cold — not warm
  6. current — of water
  7. cap — of ice
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. cap — a lid
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cold — an illness
  15. fall — the season
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. current — electric
  20. staff — a stick
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. safe — a strongbox

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