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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. drill — army training
  3. season — of the year
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. prune — to trim
  6. season — in sport
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pit — a hole
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bulb — for light
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — of water
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. game — a match

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