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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. pit — a hole
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bulb — for light
  9. land — a country
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. net — after costs
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. net — in sport
  14. band — a music group
  15. date — the fruit
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. net — for catching
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bulb — for light
  24. tube — a container

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