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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. cold — an illness
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — all right
  8. bulb — for light
  9. file — a line of people
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bulb — for light
  14. file — a tool
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. file — a document
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. cold — not warm
  19. lie — to recline
  20. tube — a container
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. tube — the underground

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