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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bulb — for light
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. press — to push
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. club — for dancing
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. game — a match
  17. press — newspapers
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — a group
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. press — a publisher
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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