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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. can — a tin
  3. bulb — for light
  4. ball — a great time
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. deal — to handle
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. can — a tin
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. ball — a dance
  17. cue — a signal
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. can — to be able to
  21. cue — for pool
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bulb — for light

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