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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — an illness
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. press — a publisher
  9. rock — music
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. rush — hurry
  13. sharp — clever
  14. land — ground
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. cold — not warm
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bulb — for light
  19. press — to push
  20. press — newspapers
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. bulb — for light
  24. rock — a stone

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