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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bulb — for light
  6. scale — size or range
  7. craft — a skill
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. land — ground
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — boats
  16. pit — a hole
  17. wind — moving air
  18. scale — in music
  19. land — a country
  20. perch — the fish
  21. pit — in a race
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. land — to come down

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