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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · toast · patient · bulb · cold · pitch

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rule — a law
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. pitch — completely
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. cold — not warm
  12. rule — government
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. 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