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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. march — music
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. file — a tool
  5. roll — a cake
  6. file — a document
  7. march — the month
  8. roll — a list
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. pit — in a race
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — electricity
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. march — the month
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. charge — in control
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bulb — for light
  21. tear — to rip
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. file — a line of people
  24. tear — from crying

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