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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  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. present — there
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — rain
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. cell — a phone
  8. club — for golf
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. club — a group
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pit — a hole
  16. club — for dancing
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. present — the time now
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. snap — to click
  21. present — a gift
  22. pit — in a race
  23. cell — in biology
  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