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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  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. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bark — to shout
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — magic
  9. lean — thin
  10. race — a contest
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. spell — letters
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — music
  17. bulb — for light
  18. lean — to bend
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — the arms race
  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