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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. face — part of the head
  3. pit — a hole
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pit — in a race
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bulb — for light
  13. last — to go on
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. face — to confront
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. hand — help
  18. last — finally
  19. last — final
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. pound — a weight
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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