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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: wind · fall · bulb · racket · rash · chip · cold · ruler

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. fall — to drop
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bulb — for light
  5. fall — to drop
  6. chip — to eat
  7. rash — a series
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. chip — for betting
  11. fall — the season
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. cold — not warm
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. cold — an illness
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. rash — hasty
  23. wind — moving air
  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