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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bulb — for light
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. spell — a short time
  10. rule — a law
  11. net — for catching
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. net — in sport
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. cold — an illness
  17. spell — magic
  18. rule — government
  19. spell — letters
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. net — after costs
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. patient — a sick person
  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