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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. wound — an injury
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cap — a lid
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. cap — of ice
  12. bulb — for light
  13. craft — boats
  14. squash — to crush
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a friend
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. mate — a partner
  20. craft — a skill
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. cap — a hat
  23. squash — the sport
  24. leaves — to go away

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