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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: bulb · cold · pass · pitcher · plane · game · mug · sharp

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. sharp — clever
  8. game — a match
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bulb — for light
  13. plane — a tool
  14. game — wild animals
  15. cold — an illness
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. cold — not warm
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. mug — to rob
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mug — a face
  23. mug — a cup
  24. pitcher — a jug

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