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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 116 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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. game — a match
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. prune — to trim
  9. game — wild animals
  10. drill — the tool
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a hole
  14. fall — to drop
  15. prune — to trim
  16. drill — army training
  17. bulb — for light
  18. drill — a practice
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. chip — to eat
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. chip — for betting
  24. cabinet — ministers

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