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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pit — in a race
  4. court — for sport
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. cell — a phone
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. court — of law
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bulb — for light
  18. court — of a king
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. wake — a trail
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cell — in biology

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