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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bulb — for light
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. lean — thin
  6. pit — in a race
  7. content — the amount
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. court — of a king
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — to bend
  15. mark — a grade
  16. content — happy
  17. bulb — for light
  18. craft — a skill
  19. mark — a trace
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. craft — boats
  22. court — for sport
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. court — of law

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