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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. spring — the season
  4. bulb — for light
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. court — of law
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bulb — for light
  11. spring — of water
  12. band — a ring
  13. court — of a king
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pitch — completely
  16. lie — to recline
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. band — a music group
  21. court — for sport
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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