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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. march — the month
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. cap — a lid
  6. march — music
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pit — in a race
  9. object — a thing
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bat — the animal
  15. cap — a hat
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. object — an aim
  18. pit — a hole
  19. squash — to crush
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. march — the month
  24. pitcher — a jug

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