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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. track — to keep track
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. pit — in a race
  7. hand — in cards
  8. pit — a hole
  9. race — the arms race
  10. fall — to drop
  11. race — a contest
  12. fall — the season
  13. drill — the tool
  14. hand — help
  15. drill — army training
  16. bulb — for light
  17. fall — to drop
  18. race — humankind
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. rush — hurry
  24. drill — a practice

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