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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. pit — in a race
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pit — a hole
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. lie — to recline
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — a practice
  12. branch — a division
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. rash — a series
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. drill — the tool
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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