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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cold — not warm
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. board — to get on
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bulb — for light
  13. content — happy
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. board — a committee
  24. cold — an illness

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