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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — not warm
  3. bear — the animal
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. cold — an illness
  7. pop — soda
  8. stock — shares
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. ball — a great time
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pop — to visit
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. ball — a dance
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pop — music
  21. band — a music group
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. band — a ring
  24. bulb — for light

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