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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a hole
  4. net — for catching
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. net — in sport
  7. bulb — for light
  8. capital — money
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. file — a tool
  12. spell — magic
  13. file — a line of people
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. net — after costs
  16. file — a document
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bulb — for light
  19. capital — a city
  20. perch — the fish
  21. spell — letters
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

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