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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bulb — for light
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. present — there
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. stock — goods
  7. pit — a hole
  8. ball — a dance
  9. drill — army training
  10. present — the time now
  11. ball — a great time
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bulb — for light
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pit — in a race
  17. present — a gift
  18. stock — shares
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — the tool
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. stem — a stem cell

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