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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. ball — a great time
  3. pop — soda
  4. scale — in music
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. rule — a law
  7. cold — not warm
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cold — an illness
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. ball — a dance
  18. rule — government
  19. lie — to recline
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — to visit
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. arm — part of the body

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