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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — a face
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a hole
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. capital — a city
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cell — a phone
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. rash — hasty
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. rash — a series
  21. capital — money
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. cell — in biology
  24. perch — for a bird

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