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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. land — a country
  5. roll — a cake
  6. pit — a hole
  7. land — to come down
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bulb — for light
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. rest — a break
  13. club — for dancing
  14. chair — a leader
  15. club — for golf
  16. club — a group
  17. pit — in a race
  18. rest — what's left
  19. roll — a list
  20. content — happy
  21. rest — what's left
  22. land — ground
  23. bulb — for light
  24. roll — on a roll

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