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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. squash — the sport
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — to crush
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pop — to visit
  9. shower — rain
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. pop — soda
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. pop — music

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