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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. rash — hasty
  4. ball — a great time
  5. present — a gift
  6. cold — an illness
  7. chip — to eat
  8. present — the time now
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. sharp — clever
  16. present — there
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cold — not warm
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — for betting
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. rash — a series

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