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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  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. wave — of the sea
  2. drill — the tool
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. drill — a practice
  5. pit — a hole
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. charge — in control
  8. cell — a phone
  9. drill — army training
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bass — low music
  12. charge — a price
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bass — the fish
  15. charge — electricity
  16. tube — the underground
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. tube — a container
  23. bass — the instrument
  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