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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. cold — an illness
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bulb — for light
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — final
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. squash — the sport
  9. spell — a short time
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. spell — letters
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. squash — to crush
  16. cold — not warm
  17. spell — magic
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bulb — for light
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. cold — the Cold War

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