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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cue — a hint
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. root — of a plant
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. cue — a signal
  13. perch — the fish
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pit — a hole
  20. cue — for pool
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a word
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bulb — for light

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