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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. land — a country
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. kick — in football
  6. pit — a hole
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. fork — in a road
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. content — happy
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. content — the amount
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pit — in a race

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