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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rash — hasty
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. pit — a hole
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. degree — temperature
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. degree — from a university
  15. tube — a container
  16. bat — the animal
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. rash — a series
  20. degree — an amount
  21. pit — in a race
  22. chest — a box
  23. tube — the underground
  24. chest — of your body

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