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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a dance
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cold — not warm
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. snap — to click
  17. cold — an illness
  18. wake — a trail
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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