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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. hand — help
  3. bulb — for light
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. hand — in cards
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. spring — a coil
  11. shower — rain
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bulb — for light
  14. can — a tin
  15. spring — the season
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bear — the animal
  20. content — happy
  21. content — the amount
  22. can — to be able to
  23. spring — of water
  24. can — a tin

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