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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.

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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pit — in a race
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — child
  7. tube — a container
  8. current — electric
  9. bulb — for light
  10. kid — to tease
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bulb — for light
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. pit — a hole
  16. field — a subject
  17. fine — all right
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. tube — the underground
  20. current — happening now
  21. fine — high quality
  22. current — of water
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bulb — of a plant

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