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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bulb — for light
  4. hand — help
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pit — in a race
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. wind — moving air
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. capital — a city
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wind — moving air
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. capital — money

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