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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fine · cold · mate · bulb · game · spell · chest · rest

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. cold — not warm
  5. game — wild animals
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bulb — for light
  9. spell — magic
  10. game — a match
  11. bulb — for light
  12. mate — a partner
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. spell — a short time
  15. cold — an illness
  16. chest — a box
  17. fine — high quality
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. spell — letters
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. fine — all right
  24. mate — a friend

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