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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a tool
  8. can — a tin
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lie — to recline
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. file — a line of people
  17. can — a tin
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — to crush
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pit — in a race

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