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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bulb — for light
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. court — for sport
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. spell — magic
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bulb — for light
  11. file — a line of people
  12. court — of a king
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. court — of law
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — letters
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a document
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a tree

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