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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. fine — high quality
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. fine — all right
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. mine — for digging
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. mark — a trace
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pitch — completely
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pit — in a race
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. mark — a grade
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. temple — side of the head

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