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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 116 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  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. present — a gift
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cap — a hat
  5. current — of water
  6. kid — to tease
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. present — the time now
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. cap — of ice
  14. current — electric
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cap — a lid
  18. kid — child
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. present — there
  22. current — happening now
  23. safe — a strongbox
  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