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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: mine · lie · game · degree · cold · suit · bulb · fan

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. suit — to fit
  6. suit — clothes
  7. degree — an amount
  8. game — a match
  9. suit — in cards
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. cold — an illness
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. degree — temperature

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