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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: bulb · cue · kid · fan · fine · season · row · cold

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — all right
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bulb — for light
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — child
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. row — to paddle
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. cue — a signal
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fine — high quality
  24. row — a line

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