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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. charge — in control
  6. hand — in cards
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. charge — electricity
  9. row — a line
  10. toast — bread
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — to paddle
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. sharp — clever
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pit — in a race
  21. charge — a price
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bulb — for light
  24. snap — to click

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