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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rush — hurry
  3. present — a gift
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. spell — magic
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. spell — a short time
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. game — a match
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. present — the time now
  16. bulb — for light
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pit — in a race
  19. present — there
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. pit — a hole
  24. bulb — for light

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