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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 120 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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pit — in a race
  5. clip — a video
  6. last — final
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fall — the season
  10. race — a contest
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. clip — to cut
  17. lie — to recline
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — finally
  20. race — humankind
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. clip — for paper
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pit — a hole

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