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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. pit — in a race
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pit — a hole
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bulb — for light
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. perch — the fish
  13. plane — a tool
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. last — to go on
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — army training
  19. bulb — for light
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. drill — the tool
  24. plane — in geometry

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