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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. pit — in a race
  5. staff — employees
  6. shower — rain
  7. object — an aim
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. object — to protest
  11. object — a thing
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pit — a hole
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pop — soda
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. staff — a stick
  18. pop — music
  19. staff — employees
  20. bulb — for light
  21. shower — to wash
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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