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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bulb — for light
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. rest — a break
  8. spell — a short time
  9. cell — in biology
  10. row — to paddle
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — a contest
  13. bulb — for light
  14. spell — letters
  15. cell — a phone
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. race — the arms race
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — a line
  21. pit — in a race
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bulb — of a plant

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