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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — a lid
  4. court — of law
  5. lean — thin
  6. spell — letters
  7. court — of a king
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. lean — to bend
  13. bulb — for light
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. spell — magic
  18. season — of the year
  19. bulb — for light
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. pit — in a race
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. court — for sport
  24. cap — of ice

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