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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. tube — the underground
  5. face — to confront
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. tube — a container
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to point toward
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rash — hasty
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. cold — an illness
  16. rash — a series
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. cold — not warm
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. lie — to recline

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