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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. land — ground
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. land — a country
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. wake — a trail
  9. season — in sport
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. charge — in control
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. firm — decided
  18. land — to come down
  19. charge — a price
  20. firm — a company
  21. bulb — for light
  22. season — of the year
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. firm — steady

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