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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. march — music
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. season — of the year
  9. march — the month
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. cold — an illness
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. season — in sport
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. game — a match
  18. march — the month
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — to sink
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cold — not warm

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