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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rash — a series
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pit — a hole
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — for golf
  7. bulb — for light
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cap — a hat
  11. degree — temperature
  12. club — a group
  13. pit — in a race
  14. rash — hasty
  15. cap — a lid
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. degree — an amount
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. degree — from a university
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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