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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. last — finally
  4. fine — all right
  5. bass — low music
  6. last — to go on
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cap — a lid
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. fine — high quality
  15. key — for a lock
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cold — not warm
  20. pitch — completely
  21. key — in music
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bass — the fish
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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