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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 124 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. present — the time now
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. snap — to click
  5. bulb — for light
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. deal — to handle
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bulb — for light
  11. present — there
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. present — a gift
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pit — a hole

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