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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. chip — to eat
  3. mug — a face
  4. rock — music
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mug — to rob
  8. cold — not warm
  9. suit — to fit
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. suit — clothes
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. suit — in cards
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. wind — moving air
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bulb — for light
  21. season — of the year
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. season — in sport
  24. rock — a stone

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