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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rash — a series
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pit — in a race
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bound — tied together
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bound — obliged
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. chest — a box
  14. rash — hasty
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bound — certain
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bulb — for light
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. ball — a dance

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