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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. game — a match
  5. net — in sport
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wax — to grow
  10. pit — a hole
  11. net — for catching
  12. degree — temperature
  13. craft — boats
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. degree — an amount
  16. net — after costs
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. hand — help
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. degree — from a university
  23. game — wild animals
  24. craft — a skill

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