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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. sharp — clever
  3. cue — a hint
  4. saw — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. cold — not warm
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bear — the animal
  15. tube — the underground
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bear — the animal
  18. tube — a container
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cue — for pool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cold — an illness
  24. sharp — with an edge

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