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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 116 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. tube — a container
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — low music
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pit — a hole
  10. file — a line of people
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. file — a tool
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bass — the fish
  17. hand — help
  18. perch — the fish
  19. file — a document
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pit — in a race
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. hand — in cards

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