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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. land — to come down
  3. fall — to drop
  4. lean — thin
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. fall — to drop
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. game — a match
  11. land — a country
  12. cold — not warm
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cold — an illness
  15. land — ground
  16. game — wild animals
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — to bend
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fall — the season
  24. perch — the fish

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