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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — a gift
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a great time
  13. tube — the underground
  14. present — there
  15. chest — a box
  16. tube — a container
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pit — a hole
  24. bulb — for light

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