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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bulb — for light
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. snap — to click
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wind — moving air
  10. clip — a video
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. cold — not warm
  15. clip — for paper
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cold — an illness
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. wind — moving air
  23. clip — to cut
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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