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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fall — to drop
  6. roll — a cake
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pit — in a race
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. deal — to handle
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. roll — a list
  17. fall — the season
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bulb — for light
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. fan — to cool the air

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