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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 120 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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. row — to paddle
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. content — happy
  5. cold — an illness
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. lie — to recline
  11. content — the amount
  12. bulb — for light
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. chest — a box
  22. cold — not warm
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. row — a line

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