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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. cue — a hint
  3. file — a line of people
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. file — a document
  10. cue — for pool
  11. pit — in a race
  12. mug — a face
  13. face — to confront
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rash — a series
  16. face — part of the head
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mug — to rob
  19. file — a tool
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cue — a signal
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pit — a hole
  24. bulb — of a plant

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