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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. club — for dancing
  3. drill — army training
  4. chip — to eat
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bulb — for light
  7. club — a group
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bulb — for light
  12. lean — to bend
  13. net — in sport
  14. lean — thin
  15. club — for golf
  16. chip — for betting
  17. pit — in a race
  18. net — after costs
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. drill — the tool
  23. net — for catching
  24. drill — a practice

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