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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 116 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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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 · rock · bulb · deal · last · stand · court · cold

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. court — of a king
  3. last — final
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. rock — music
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. saw — the tool
  10. court — of law
  11. court — for sport
  12. stand — to bear
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cold — not warm
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rock — a stone
  18. deal — to handle
  19. last — finally
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. last — to go on

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