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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pit — in a race
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — to tease
  13. pit — a hole
  14. row — a line
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. land — ground
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pass — a permit
  23. row — to paddle
  24. march — the month

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