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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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Word bank
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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: last · present · bulb · wind · dip · cold · hide · sharp

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. present — a gift
  5. present — there
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cold — an illness
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. last — finally
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cold — not warm
  13. last — final
  14. wind — moving air
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. present — the time now
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. last — to go on
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. sharp — exactly

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