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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 120 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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. pit — a hole
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bat — the animal
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. pit — in a race
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bulb — for light
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. dip — to sink
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — in the ear
  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