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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: saw · last · bulb · row · mark · fine · cold · race

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. row — to paddle
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bulb — for light
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cold — an illness
  8. race — a contest
  9. last — finally
  10. mark — a trace
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. mark — a grade
  13. last — to go on
  14. race — the arms race
  15. fine — all right
  16. cold — not warm
  17. fine — high quality
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. race — humankind
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. last — final
  22. row — a line
  23. cold — the Cold War
  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