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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. row — a line
  4. row — to paddle
  5. roll — a cake
  6. present — there
  7. present — a gift
  8. pit — a hole
  9. wind — moving air
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. last — final
  13. bore — to drill
  14. last — to go on
  15. wind — moving air
  16. present — the time now
  17. bore — to tire
  18. roll — a list
  19. bulb — for light
  20. last — finally
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. pit — in a race

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