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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. cap — a hat
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. cap — of ice
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. firm — steady
  11. press — to push
  12. pit — a hole
  13. wound — an injury
  14. press — a publisher
  15. cap — a lid
  16. firm — a company
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bulb — for light
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wind — moving air

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