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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cold — not warm
  5. saw — the tool
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. saw — the tool
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to bend
  15. charge — in control
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — to tease
  20. charge — electricity
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. charge — a price
  23. kid — child
  24. pound — a weight

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