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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 116 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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cold — not warm
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bear — the animal
  9. root — the cause
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. kid — to tease
  17. capital — money
  18. cue — a hint
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. capital — a city
  22. cue — for pool
  23. kid — child
  24. bear — to put up with

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