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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pit — a hole
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — child
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. scale — size or range
  14. row — to paddle
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — in music
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the sport
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. row — a line
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. pit — in a race

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