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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 116 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. fall — to drop
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. wind — moving air
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — not warm
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. spring — of water
  17. bulb — for light
  18. perch — the fish
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. fall — the season
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. cold — the Cold War

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