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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 120 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. tear — from crying
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bulb — for light
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. snap — to click
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — a hole
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bark — to shout
  19. mate — to breed
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. tear — to rip
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mate — a partner

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