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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 120 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. The water is too ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  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. cold — not warm
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. net — in sport
  8. cold — an illness
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rule — a law
  11. net — for catching
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bulb — for light
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bulb — for light
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. chest — a box
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. net — after costs
  21. rule — government
  22. chest — of your body
  23. safe — a strongbox
  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