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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. season — in sport
  7. saw — the tool
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. pit — in a race
  10. field — for sport
  11. perch — the fish
  12. season — of the year
  13. snap — to click
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. field — a subject
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. field — farmland
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pit — a hole
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. season — to add flavour

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