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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 120 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: cold · bulb · key · ball · pound · fall · season · fan

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. fall — to drop
  3. key — in music
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. key — for a lock
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. fall — the season
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bulb — for light
  16. ball — a dance
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. pound — a weight
  19. ball — a great time
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — in sport
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cold — an illness

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